


Until the sea is calm again

by Rosesnfeathers



Category: Captain America - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fairy Tale, Alternate Universe - Pirate, Alternate Universe - Royalty, Description of violence and torture, Fluff and Smut, Friends to Lovers, Genderfluid Character, M/M, Magic, Minor Character Death, Mutual Pining, Post-Serum Steve Rogers, Pre-Serum Steve Rogers, Prince Steve, pirate bucky
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-29
Updated: 2019-10-29
Packaged: 2021-01-03 18:35:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 31,048
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21184076
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rosesnfeathers/pseuds/Rosesnfeathers
Summary: “Can you please stop spreading lies to the children, Bucky?”Bucky closes the thick book resting on his lap with a sigh and looks up at Steve who just appeared at the library’s door. His fisted hands rest on his narrow hips as he  frowns at Bucky and all the kids surrounding him. They all bow to their Prince but some of them can’t help but giggle a little. Steve is great with the kids living at the castle with them. They show him the respect a Prince deserves, but they well aware that he will excuse any harmless bit of mischief they might get up to.Their chorus of “Good morning, Prince Steven!” is enough to bring a small smile back to his royal friend’s face.“I’m not telling lies, your Highness. Simply what I believe you’re meant to accomplish.”Or the one where Steve is a Prince and Bucky is a knight, there is a prophecy, and loss, and death. But in the end, they find their way back to each other. And they live happily, ever after.





	Until the sea is calm again

**Author's Note:**

  * For [raynaki](https://archiveofourown.org/users/raynaki/gifts).

> Hey! I did it! I survived my first Captain America Big Bang and in the end, I wrote my longest story so far! I hope you enjoy this one as much I loved writing it. Big thank you to raynaki for the beautiful banner she did for this story and for the amazing drawing one of the scene inspired her.

**Then **

_ Once upon a time, in a kingdom far, far away, lived Prince Steven Grant Rogers. He was son to respectful King Joseph and to beautiful Queen Sarah. _

_ The Kingdom of New York was made up of a chain of islands and at its heart was the Island of Brooklyn, home to the royal family. It was in the middle of a sea as pure and clear as the young Prince's blue eyes. Leaning upon his bed a few hours after his birth, his parents heard a prophecy about him. It said that he was meant for great things. It said that he would, one day, save his Kingdom from the hands of some evil forces. It said that he would bring back peace, and love, and happiness upon the nation. _

_ The Prince himself was not so sure about that. He was a bit small, and was prone to catching every single illness floating around Brooklyn. The first few years of his life, he saw the kingdom's physician more than he saw his own parents. _

_ Alas, it was his destiny. And the people, his future people, loved him dearly. They believed in him wholeheartedly, and they cherished their future king as they trusted their lives into his hands. Because, despite being smaller than most, there was no other person on Brooklyn as stubborn and hard working as Prince Steven, no other person with such a golden heart. _

“Can you _ please _stop spreading lies to the children, Bucky?”

Bucky closes the thick book resting on his lap with a sigh and looks up at Steve who just appeared at the library’s door. His fisted hands rest on his narrow hips as he frowns at Bucky and all the kids surrounding him. They all bow to their Prince but some of them can’t help but giggle a little. Steve is great with the kids living at the castle with them. They show him the respect a Prince deserves, but they well aware that he will excuse any harmless bit of mischief they might get up to. 

Their chorus of “Good morning, Prince Steven!” is enough to bring a small smile back to his royal friend’s face.

“I’m not telling lies, _ your Highness_. Simply what I believe you’re meant to accomplish.” 

Bucky loves that story just as much as the kids do. He enjoys reading it as much as he enjoys the bright look in the eyes of the children listening to him. He loves giving them hope, reminding them that they are safe under Steve’s protection.

Steve rolls his eyes and crosses his arms in front of his chest, trying to look annoyed despite the small blush taking over his cheeks. Bucky knows Steve hates when he uses all kinds of formalities to talk to him. He ushers the children away with an insistent, “Come on, storytime is over, guys. Go back outside to play!” 

Bucky stands, dusting off his pants and putting the big story book back on the shelf before turning back to look at Steve. “But I love that story.”

Steve huffs, arms still crossed over his chest. “Well I don’t…Seriously, how can you believe I’m gonna save the Kingdom of New York, Bucky? How could I do that when I can barely climb the stairs to my room without getting out of breath? Or, you know, the fact that I keep catching the worst colds anytime it starts to rain or snow?”

Bucky looks at his friend, at the frustration painted all over his face. How is he supposed to tell Steve that he believes he could go to the end of the world if he needs to? That, if it’s to save the people he loves and cares about, he knows Steve will stop at nothing. 

Bucky knows that small or not, Steve can do whatever he wants if he puts his heart into it. Steve beat sickness more times than anyone else in the kingdom, he has seen death even closer than Bucky himself. And Bucky, he is the one who went to battlefield a few times now, fighting for his King. He’s the one who saw war from up close.

But how is he supposed to tell Steve how much he believes in him without his feelings bubbling over? Without saying too much?

He can’t tell Steve that nothing scared him more than the sound of Steve’s violent cough, echoing through the whole castle a few winters ago. How Bucky thought that was it, that he was going to lose him. The physician stayed at Steve’s bedside for days. Every second Steve remained ill, Bucky was sure it was the end. This would be the moment when the sickness finally won. 

That night he thought, _ how am I supposed to keep living in a world where you are not? _

Bucky can’t tell him how that night, staying by his side, was scarier to him than falling on his back in the middle of the battlefield surrounded by enemies. More terrifying than closing his eyes and feeling the tip of the sword right above his heart, before Gabe came racing over on his horse and saved his ass. He can’t tell Steve that the last thing he saw when he thought he was going to die was the bright blue of his eyes. 

Even near death, Steve is always with him.

“But you know the prophecy, Steve, even if you don’t believe it. Your parents, they heard it. And it’s written in The Book, it’s destined to happen like all other prophecies before it!”

It was the truth, all the prophecies in the history of the Kingdom of New York, they all happened. The Library is filled with them. 

Steve honestly doesn’t believe in it, but he’s never told anyone but Bucky. Mostly, he doesn’t want to break his parents’ hearts by telling them. 

Ever since they were little boys running around the castle, Steve always said that maybe this prophecy, the one about him, was the one and only prophecy that was wrong. Maybe for the first time in a hundred years, he would be the one to bring bad luck on the Kingdom of New York instead of the other way around. 

Every time Steve doubts himself, something hurts and breaks inside of Bucky.

“Come on, let’s go eat something, that’s why I came to get you. Your Mom made your favorite.” 

Bucky wraps an arm around Steve’s shoulders, pulling him close. “Lucky me, the Prince himself taking care of me like that...” 

He stops in the middle of the corridor just before the kitchen door, his hands resting on Steve’s shoulder. “I’m sorry okay, for telling them that story. But they barged into the Library when I was there, begging me to read it to them.” 

Steve looks up at him and gives a small smile. “Don’t be sorry, I know the kids love that stupid book anyway. If it makes them happy, who am I to deny them that, right?” 

This is one of his favorite things about Steve. He allows a lot of things that make him uncomfortable, knowing it makes other people smile and brings them happiness. Steve, while stubborn, is unrelentingly selfless for the one he loves. Even if sometimes, Bucky would like him to put himself first once in awhile.

They walk into the kitchens together, the people smiling at Bucky and bowing to Steve as they make their way through. Bucky’s mother is the King and Queen’s personal cook, leading a team of well-trained people and feeding the entire castle three times a day. His father is their stable master, so Bucky has lived on the royal grounds since he was born. 

Just as Queen Sarah took a liking to his mother Winifred, Steve took a liking to Bucky. 

It feels like they've always been joined at the hip. Steve requested quickly that Bucky join him during his lessons when they were younger and of age for school. Steve also supported Bucky when he joined the King’s Guard when they were sixteen, because he knew how important it was to Bucky to have something of his own. 

Being the Prince’s best friend was, and still is, one of the greatest things in his life, but he wanted to be more than that. He wanted to train, to learn how to fight, how to ride and how to hold a sword. He quickly became one of the best swordsman of the whole Kingdom and it is, to this day, one of the biggest accomplishments of his life. 

Bucky never told Steve that the main reason why he trained for knighthood was in the hopes of someday being appointed as Steve's personal protection detail. For him, it is the only way he could stay close to Steve. The only way he could get a taste of what he really wants; to be _ with _ him. To be his lover.

But of course, Steve is meant for greater things than that. He’s probably meant to marry someone as worthy as him, just as important. Someone royal. There’s no way Steve will ever see Bucky the same way he does. Bucky’s just a knight. Bucky’s just the son of a cook and a horse boy who was lucky enough to grow up in the castle, and lucky enough to become friends with a prince. 

But it doesn’t feel like luck, the way he feels for Steve. The way he started to see those bright blue eyes in his sleep, the way that suddenly, looking at Steve’s pretty pink lips was so much more interesting than hearing the words coming out of them. The way he keeps wondering how they would taste, how they would feel against his own. 

He remembers his mother’s eyes when she first noticed, how sad she looked. He remembers the gentleness in her voice as she talked to him that night, when he was around fifteen maybe, and she told him, “Oh Bucky, but he’s the_ Prince _. I don’t want you to get hurt.”

Bucky knew all of that and knew it all too well. But you love who you love, and you rarely have a choice. 

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

Steve can’t help but notice how nearly everyone is looking at Bucky. Everyone gets red in the cheeks as he smiles to them, a girl even giggles, “Hi Bucky” and scrambles away when they crossed the kitchen door. It’s been that way for years now. When they were children there was a way to him, he could get away with everything with just a smile. And then, Bucky grew into a very, very handsome man, much to Steve’s despair. 

Now everybody sees Bucky the way Steve always did. Now everybody sees that what’s outside is just as beautiful as what’s inside. Everybody now sees Bucky and, sadly, Bucky doesn’t see Steve any differently.

Bucky’s now tall and broad and his long shiny hair makes all the girls jealous, or so Steve hears. Ever since he began his training for knighthood, he’s gained muscle in places Steve never thought it was possible to have some. His skin is now almost golden from all the days spent riding under the bright sun, or from the few trips he took overseas with his father, being a member of his guard. 

It is almost painful now, looking at Bucky. How beautiful he is. Steve thinks that there isn’t any other knight more noble than his best friend. There is no other in his father’s guard who looks better in the dark navy blue colors of the Kingdom.

And it seems that all the people of the castle are well aware of that as well.

Steve is aware that Bucky has killed people, that he’s fought in more than a few battles. It makes him look a bit harder around the edges now, something in his eyes that wasn’t there before. And yet, there is still nothing softer to Steve than his best friend’s smile, or the way the light quickly comes back into his lovely grey eyes when he laughs. 

Steve has heard about men being with men. Same with women. It is well known and also common on the Island. Here, love is love and it’s the only thing that matters. Steve knows that in other kingdoms, kings and queens sometimes marry members of their own guard, too. It is acceptable, it is possible. What Steve does find hard to believe, is that someone as strong and beautiful and brave as Bucky might want _ him _. Bucky...he can get whoever he wants, and Steve very much doubts that he could be that someone. 

He knows that Bucky respects him, that he believes in him, in what he is apparently meant to achieve. But Steve has never grown into what he thought a prince should be. He doesn’t look half as intimidating at his father does. He is just Steve, small and skinny and always sick...Surely, that wouldn’t be enough for Bucky.

Steve tries to smile anyway, as he looks at how Winifred wraps her arms around her son, hugging him close and pushing his long hair out of his face. He loves the way Bucky’s cheeks turns a bit redder as he ducks away, telling her “Mooooom, come on. People are watching.”

It makes all the kitchen maids laugh at his expense, which only makes the pink blush on his cheeks darker.

“Can’t I be proud of my very handsome son?” she replies, handing him a plate full to the brim of all his favorite things. It’s way too full of sweets but in this she loves to spoil him rotten, giving him all he wants. Steve knows that feeling pretty well, if he’s honest.

“Of course you can,” Bucky replies, his mouth already full of food as he is tries to taste everything all at once. _ Gross_, Steve thinks fondly.

He often eats in the kitchens with them. He likes it better than the huge dining hall anyway, where his mother and father are seated so far away from him that they can’t even talk to each other. 

Tonight though, they have visitors. Count Alexander Pierce, one of his father’s closest friends and business partner is here. He brought a few of his men as well and King Joseph has asked that they all eat together with their guests.

Steve steals a piece of bread off of Bucky’s plate, laughing at his friend’s murderous eyes. “Come on, Bucky, you’re literally sitting where all the food comes from!” 

He hears the kitchen maids laugh again. Winifred bows to him, even though he’s told her many times she doesn’t need to. “Have a nice dinner, Prince Steven.”

“Of course it will be nice, Winifred. You’re the one cooking it.”

He gives a last smile to Bucky, who smiles back with his mouth full of food, and it shows how far Steve’s gone for him because it makes his heart squeeze with an intense feeling of total adoration. “See ya later, Buck!”

The last thing Steve sees is Bucky waving at him and Winifred looking between them both fondly. 

It will be the very last time Steve sees both of them together. Sees them both smiling happily.

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

When Bucky opens his eyes, it feels like he’s been unconscious for days. He is chained to the wall of his cell in the castle’s dungeons. He hears some screams in the distance and is reminded of the pain in his muscles and deep down in his bones. He takes a deep breath and chokes on it, his ribs hurting him. It feels like they’ve been broken into pieces and are poking right into his lungs. 

He tries to breathe more slowly, to calm the frantic beat of his heart as well. He looks in the other cells surrounding his own and sees a few familiar faces. Clint, with blood trailing from his ears, Gabe, with his shirt sticking to his body, stained with dark spots of his own blood as well.

Bucky’s heart squeezes painfully at the sight of them.

They tried to fight back, they really did. They heard screams coming from the dining room and they barged into it. A few men that he thought were his friends, that he thought were following King’s Joseph orders were holding them down, swords against their throats. Count Alexander Pierce was standing there, telling them to kill them. 

Bucky felt the betrayal deep down in his bones. He remembers the cold tone of Pierce’s voice like he was just telling them to go take a walk on the beach. His face was void of any emotion, ignoring the pleas and tears of Queen Sarah kneeling by him.

They tried to make their way to the King and Queen, tried to push through the crowd and save them as best as they could, but it was too late. They were outnumbered by Pierce’s men. Bucky got hit in the head by the handle of a sword and he fell to his knees, his breath leaving his lungs with the shock of it, blood dripping down his face. 

While he was down, he saw Steve in the corner of the room. His wonderful, beautiful Steve, was being pushed through the doors of a secret passage, hidden behind a statue. The room was chaotic enough that nobody but Bucky seemed to notice. But at least someone saved him. Bucky really, really hoped Steve was safe behind that door and that there weren’t worse things waiting for him. 

After he noticed Steve’s forced exit, his attention was drawn to another part of the room where someone was screaming loudly and so full of pain. He looked back at the King and Queen and saw that King Joseph was now on his knees, the sword of Count Pierce plunged through his heart, while Queen Sarah was wailing next to them. 

The screams stopped quickly enough as one of Pierce’s men slit her throat and she fell, unmoving, next to her husband, her blood quickly spreading around her and soaking into her pretty gown. Bucky felt like screaming, his throat burning with unshed tears. Bucky tried to break free, to pull away and just run, but he was held down by two very strong men and was unable to do anything more than watch. 

He closed his eyes and he thought of his own mother still in the kitchens, of his father outside with the horses and he sent up silent prayers for them, hoping they were safe.

When he opened his eyes again, he saw that the King was now on the ground as well, his still body lying next to his wife’s. The only thing keeping Bucky sane in that moment was the hope that Steve managed to escape. He was glad for the fact that Steve wasn’t there to watch that horrible scene.

Quickly enough, Dum Dum, Clint, Gabe, Jacques, Jim, and himself were all thrown down in the dungeons. They were chained to the walls of their cells, each of them tortured and asked endlessly if they knew where Prince Steven was.

Bucky remembers the first time they came to his cell. He’d heard the other men scream, and he knew it would be his turn soon. He remembers the way Pierce knelt before him, talking to him, his voice low and soft, almost cajoling. He promised him release, promised him all these great things if _ only _ he told them where Steve was. He touched Bucky’s hair, and his face. Bucky wanted to spit in his eyes. He felt that touch on his skin for hours after he left. Feeling wrong and dirty...

Pierce told him things, like he knew what Steve meant to him, trying at first to get into his head, to make him believe Steve left him behind or that he was dead. Pierce told him that Steve could have saved Bucky, but decided to flee like a coward.

He remembers clear as day, how Pierce kept telling him that Steve would never feel the same things he did…remembers how he tried to make him believe that his feelings were bad and unnatural. That men shouldn’t love each other like that. Bucky hated him then, for even believing that loving Steve was anything but the best damn thing to ever happen to him.

And then, when words were not enough, they switched to physical violence. They ripped the filthy clothes off his left arm, and they started with blades. The first time, they cut him so deep he thought the blade went through his whole arm. He felt the cold steel of the knife digging through his nerves, his muscles. It was enough to leave him bleeding for hours, to weaken him and make him delirious. Bucky remembers a small man with round glasses who looked harmless at first, but the things he did to Bucky made him scream the loudest. He was leaving all kind of scars on Bucky’s skin, and when those were not enough, he started to put the blade right in the fire before digging into his flesh. Bucky still sees his horrible smile as he was carving Bucky’s skin like a piece of meat.

He screamed, he cried, and in the end he passed out. But never, not once, did he speak Steve’s name to them. He didn’t know where he was, that part was painfully true. But he would _ never _ give them the pleasure of understanding how important he was, how not only were they digging into his flesh but also in his brain, in his heart. 

They were breaking him apart, but he was too proud to let them know it was working. He stayed strong and he tried staying conscious through all the pain. He stopped talking to them completely at some point and just tried his best to stay alive. 

Every single time Bucky opens his eyes, only to be met by the damp darkness of his cell, he relives it all - the torture, the murders…Steve. They never heard from him, they never knew for sure if he survived. But a part of Bucky knows that, if they keep torturing them, if they keep relentlessly asking about Steve, it must be because he survived, because he is still out there somewhere.

Bucky turns his head, resting his feverish cheek against the cold, damp wall he is chained to. He tries to summon good memories of Steve, tries to remember his features, the exact shade of blue of his eyes, the way his hair, a bit longer on top, was always falling in front of them. Bucky thinks about how painful it was each time, to fight back the urge to just slid his fingers through the blond locks. Every day, when he wakes up, he tries to remember bits of Steve. It’s what keeps him sane in this hell they were thrown in. 

He sees something shiny on his left, and notices that one of the guards fell asleep against Bucky’s cell door. The keys, hanging from his belt are _ right there _ and maybe if Bucky stretches enough, he could reach for them and get them free. 

Oh, the irony of such an easy escape after weeks of torture.

As slowly as he can, without rattling his chains too much, he moves closer to the guard. He’s been told, through training and also in battles, how he walks like a cat sometimes, how none of his opponents ever heard him coming. _ Hopefully I didn’t lose that skill_, he thinks as he pushes himself closer and closer to freedom. 

When he gets close enough to the man, he gets a whiff of alcohol and it smells so strong Bucky’s eyes burn with it. Hopefully he’s passed out drunk and will never realize what’s happening. It’s a thing he noticed often now, looking at the guards closely when he gets bored out of his mind. Most of them look like they would like to be anywhere but here. Most of them are often inebriated like it helps them get through the day.

The scarred fingers of his left hand are inching closer and closer to the keys, and when he looks up, he sees that Clint is now awake too, looking at him with big hopeful eyes. If he can at least free his friends, if he can save them, then all the pain he went through, all the burns and scars and nightmares will be worth it. 

His pinky finger hooks into the key chain and he pulls, making the keys fall right into his open hand. He feels like crying, dancing, screaming, fainting all at once. He tries a few keys on his own chains and finally releases himself, massaging his poor wrist a little before moving to the door of his cell. 

He looks as his guard through the bars, scared that the man might wake up and try to stop them, Bucky grabs the guard by the hair on top of his head and slams his head against the strong metal of the cell door. The man falls on his side then, knocked unconscious by much more than cheap wine. 

Keys in hand, Bucky releases his friends and they start running, fighting their way out of the castle. They cross paths with a few guards but they never stop punching or fighting or running until they are miraculously out of the doors. They keep running, and running- it’s like they can’t stop. It’s like they are so scared of never being free again that now they can’t waste any bits of freedom. They hear some guards chasing them and ordering them to stop, but they never do. They will escape this island even if it’s the very last thing they do.

They run until they reach the port and Clint yells at them, pointing at a ship. They jump on it and it’s just their luck that it’s totally empty. Bucky knows nothing about boats, he grew up in the kitchens and used to ride horses with his father. But Gabe and Dum Dum, their own fathers were sailors and both were trained from a very young age about how to sail a boat. 

So just like that, they escape Brooklyn after being kept prisoner for almost a year. _ I’m coming for you_, Bucky thinks. _ I’m gonna find you Steve, no matter where you are. If you’re still alive, I’ll find my way back to you _.

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

All Steve remembers from that horrible night, is a painful hold on his arm. He can’t say he remembers who saved him. He only recalls his parents being threatened by Count Alexander Pierce and his men. There were so many of the knights on Pierce’s side when they were supposed to be part of his father’s own guard. He remembers the hot feeling of anger and betrayal he felt. He spotted Bucky in the crowd, on his knees and being held down, and he felt so relieved in his heart, knowing that Bucky was one of the good ones.

And then, he was shoved through a secret passage and the voice of the guard who saved him whispered, _ Run! Run as fast as you can _!

So he did. He ran down the narrow corridors. It had been a long time though, since he traveled through those hidden tunnels. He never stopped running, but he took a few wrong turns, hitting walls and locked doors on his way. He finally reached one, at the end of a very long and narrow corridor and he managed to push it open. Just as he thought, it was the passage leading to the beach. 

Once he was outside, he felt the cold wind of the sea breeze blowing at his face and he just kept running. He ran until he felt like his heart was gonna give out, until he felt like his lungs would explode. He ran until he reached the water and dropped into a small boat with huge wooden paddles attached to it. He untied the thick rope holding it to the dock and started to row as hard and fast as he could. He managed to distance himself from Brooklyn Island before the tears started to bubble over. 

It was too much suddenly, all of the adrenaline seeping out of his body. He started to shake with anger and fear. He thought about his parents, feeling deep down inside that something terrible had just happened to them. He felt like a coward for running away and leaving them behind. His thoughts drifted to Bucky - _ his Bucky _ \- who he’d left behind in the hands of those awful men. 

He paddled as hard and fast as he could until everything was too much, until his breath was too short and his heart skipping too many beats. He paddled until the castle was just a tiny point of light on the horizon, and then he fainted.

When he wakes up, he is lying on his back on what seems to be a beach. The sand is fine and white under his fingers, his clothes drenched with sea water and stiff with salt. Above him, the moon is huge and so bright it feels like it’s daytime. It looks like there are so many more stars up there, it feels like they are part of a huge, warm, navy blue blanket above him.

Steve takes one settling breath and then he sits up. He starts coughing immediately, tasting the bitterness of sea water on his tongue and he coughs until he chokes on it, until tears start welling in his eyes. He gets sick, right there all over the shiny white sand of the beach. The tears don’t stop, and the heaving quickly turns into wracking sobs. He has no idea where he is, he is so completely lost and alone. 

He sits on a rock and tries his best to calm down. He’s usually stronger and braver than that. He breathes, in and out, until he feels his heart slowing to a steadier beat, his lungs settling as well. 

He is angry at himself. Why did he just run away like that? He could have stayed behind and tried to save them...Even if he kept telling everyone he didn’t believe in that prophecy, part of him always wondered if he could really save the kingdom.

Maybe this is it. Maybe he needed to flee to find his way back to them stronger than before. Because there were dozens of men who seemed to be following Pierce’s orders and there was no way that he could have fought them alone and won. 

So yes. He will find his way back to the one he loves. He will find help first and then, he will get back to them.

He stands up and starts walking down the beach. His head is killing him, but he needs to find something, someone. There are plants and trees and the vegetation looks dense and thick and while the beach is bright with the moonlight, the forest looks scary and dark. He tries to find a path, some sort of way leading somewhere, deeper on the island, it can’t be just a big whole beach with nothing but trees in the middle!

_ Someone must live here _! Steve thinks.

He suddenly jumps in fear when he hears some rustling in the branches on his left. He quickly takes a few steps back when he sees the branches move in front of his eyes. He feels like his heart is about to beat out of his chest, what if it’s some kind of big animal, he doesn’t have anything to fight with. He looks back at the boat and the paddle but he walked away from the boat and there’s no time to run back to it. 

But then, there is a man making his way out of the big green leaves. “Hello, are you alright?” he asks and Steve almost falls on his knees with relief. 

Steve doesn’t answer at first, too shocked about the fact that he found someone so soon. The man looks quite a bit older than him. His hair is turning grey and he is wearing round spectacles on his nose. His face is soft and gentle, though. He holds his hands up to show Steve that he is not armed. 

“My name is Abraham,” he says, his voice just as gentle. 

“I’m Steve,” Steve replies, his voice husky with disuse. Just talking makes his head throb with pain. The man asks if Steve is hurt, and really, Steve isn’t even sure if he is. He tries looking down at himself but only starts feeling dizzy. He sits down right there on the ground and the man, Abraham, suddenly looks worried. He tells Steve not to move, that he will come back with help. 

Steve is very confused as to whether or not the man is real or if he’s delirious enough that he’s hallucinating. He tries closing his eyes to stop the world from turning, to stop the pain banging behind his eyes and he ends up fainting. Again. 

When he wakes up, it looks like it’s daytime, because he is surrounded by bright golden light. It also feels like many, many days have passed. Steve feels groggy and confused, like you often do after a very long nap. He is now laying in soft warm sheets and there is a beautiful girl sitting by his bed. She has brown hair and her eyes are soft, and instantly Steve knows he’s safe. He tries to sit up, but she puts a hand right in the middle of his chest, stopping him. 

Her touch is gentle, but firm.

“You need more rest Prince Steven. Magic is doing its work.”

_ Oh, okay _ Steve thinks, and when he looks down at his chest, at her hand resting there, it feels weird, he feels like he’s bigger, larger. He heard about a few parts of the Kingdom that played with unknown forces. He’s heard of wizards and magic. His mother loved those whimsical stories. In the dizzy state he is in, it’s easy to just lean back and believe in what this beautiful girl is telling him. To believe that all the tales his mother was so fond of, they were true.

His head feels cloudy, like it’s filled with cotton, and there is a blueish glow around the room. Steve wants to ask some questions, wants to know where he is but he feels so sleepy, suddenly, so he listens to the girl. 

The last thing he hears is her voice, though he doesn’t understand the words, drifting back into unconsciousness, but it’s soothing, like a melody, so he falls back asleep. Questions can wait. 

He remembers dreaming. He sees and feels things he never saw or felt before. He dreams that he is floating, flying. He dreams that he is growing taller, so fast that his skin feels tight around his elbows and knees. He is aware of a dull pain in his bones, like someone is pulling at his limbs, trying to stretch them longer than they already are.

He sees some weird things behind his closed eyes, and everything is blue and bright. 

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

** Now **

Bucky wakes up with a start, almost falling off of his bed. He can still hear the screams, like they are coming from within his cabin instead of being from years ago. Remnants from what feels like another life. He closes his eyes and rubs at them but he still sees flashes of his nightmare. He still sees Steve, being dragged by one of his fellow guards to a safer place. He still sees his blond hair, eyes wide with fear and shock as he disappears inside of a secret passage hidden in the dining room. 

Sometimes in his nightmares, Bucky sees Steve being murdered too, right beside his parents. On those days, he doesn’t leave his cabin at all, the phantom feeling of holding Steve’s dead body in his arms too real, too raw, for him to even function properly.

It’s been five years already. Five years since that dreadful night. Five _ years _ since they were thrown down in the castle’s dungeons by Pierce and his evil men.

They’ve learned since then how the Count charmed his way into the King’s entourage, and became his friend with the intention of stealing the throne from him. A few of the knights, the King’s very own friends, acted like they were following King Joseph’s orders when really, they were undercover, working for Pierce all along. 

Pierce was part of an organization called Hydra. They were going from island to island and pillaging villages, burning whole cities to steal from them. Bucky remembers how King Joseph was trying to find out who those men creating chaos everywhere they stopped were, but it was a mystery for a long time. They kept looking without knowing who was at the head of this gang of criminals. Turns out, it was Pierce all along. He hired men, thieves and criminals, and their main goal, was to make King Joseph fall, to take his place and reign over the Kingdom of New York.

They were working with dark magical forces, trying to build an army of enhanced soldiers. Where King’s Joseph goals were always noble, Pierce’s wanted to reign over the Kingdom by using violence and fear.

So Bucky and his crew are now considered fugitives. Bucky knows that Pierce has put a great price on his head after his escape. He knows he has made him pretty angry with the way he and his men are sailing now, all over the Kingdom of New York and blowing up every single Hydra base they can find. They are getting ready for the ultimate revenge. They are planning to take back what once was theirs. 

They tried getting back on Brooklyn once, but they lost. They survived, but were wounded quite badly. Hydra was too strong for the very few of them.

They keep trying. If they can’t attack head on, they can try to take them down little by little. But it was harder than they thought. Whenever they managed to take down one of their bases, they were already building a new one somewhere else. But Bucky, he wasn’t stopping. He would keep going until he could give the throne back to someone worthy of the Kingdom of New York. Someone willing to take care of their people instead of killing them all. 

Hopefully that someone would be Steve.

Sometimes they would arrive in villages where it was too late, where they had already been destroyed by Hydra’s men. They find people who were left behind and without homes. They find people who had their family torn apart, murdered or abducted by Hydra. They often stayed in those villages for as long as they could, helping them rebuild what’s been destroyed. 

They are considered criminals, pirates even, by the one who is holding the Kingdom now, but to regular people, they are saviors. And to Bucky, those are the ones who matters the most.

It’s been five years since they escaped their captors, and thank God, they haven’t been caught yet. It’s been five years but Bucky still has nightmares about that night where everything went to hell. About those nights where he couldn’t even remember sleeping with how much he was hurting from the latest torture session he had to endure. It’s been five years since Bucky and his men started desperately looking for Steve. 

They are beaten up and scarred and skinnier than they once were, but they are still alive. 

They heard rumors that the Prince has escaped too. That he survived the coup that killed his parents and made him lose his throne, his Kingdom. There are many people Bucky crossed paths with who swore they saw him at some point. They truly believe that their Prince is well and alive and that he will come back and give them back the life they once had.

They heard about a gang of vigilantes as well, they heard along the way that they are not the only ones going after Hydra and Pierce’s power. Bucky and his crew haven’t met any of those people who are part of the resistance, though. He will believe it when he finally sees them. 

Bucky also heard some stories that don’t make sense at all, speaking of the Prince now being big and strong. But still, the fact that some people are certain they saw Steve, that thought alone is what helps Bucky keep going.

He knows deep down in his gut that Steve is still alive. He spent his childhood believing in this prophecy about Steve’s future and even if he’s lost almost everything, he still believes in that. His best friend, he is supposed to save the Kingdom of New York. It’s written in the stars and Bucky won’t rest until Prince Steven is back on his throne.

He gets out of bed and through the little window of his cabin, he can see that the sun is not even up yet. He washes his face with the small basin of water that he keeps in his cabin. He fixes the black paint that’s now smudged all over his cheeks. He washes it and redoes the line he now likes to adorn his eyes with. 

He tries his best to untangle his hair, now reaching way past his shoulders. He runs damp fingers through it. There are some beads and braids in it now, thanks to the lovely children they met the last time they stopped on land. 

That village, he remembered, had built an altar in honor of Steve. When he told them he used to be his best friend, that his main goal was to find the Prince and bring him back to his throne, the villagers had treated them almost like princes too. They never doubted who he was, they instantly believed him. It was good for once, to be back to being himself. He’s spent the last few years changing his name in every land they stopped, making up stories to cover the truth. 

Bucky smiles, thinking about that night. How Dum Dum drank so much wine he fell asleep at the table, face first into his plate. Gabe, Morita, and Dernier, spent the night dancing with all the prettiest ladies in town. Clint, he spent the night chatting up a girl at the bar, a beautiful redhead who looked like she could skin him alive if he did or said anything inappropriate. But with the way he smiled at her all night, disappointing her was the last thing he wanted to do.

One girl came over to Bucky, a cute blond one, smaller than him, with a delicate frame. Bucky almost went with her, but when he looked into her big blue eyes, it was too much. She reminded him of Steve in such a painful way, he couldn’t dance with her. She made the ache in his heart pulse all through his veins. He declined her offer because dancing with her would be unfair.

She smiled politely at him before turning around and giving her devoted attention to someone else, like she wasn’t even bothered by Bucky rejecting her. 

He remembers sitting there, holding onto his empty cup of wine so hard he thought he would break it. He remembers the carelessness of that pretty blond girl, while inside, he felt like he just took a sword right through the heart.

He feels the same way he did then, now standing in the middle of his small cabin. Filled with the absolute need to know that Steve is still alive, that he is safe. That there is a chance, somehow that they will find their way back to each other. 

He fiddles with the colorful beads threaded in his hair. He remembers that night, how all of his crew was happy for what felt like the first time in forever. He remembers the laughter of the children as they were braiding his hair. He thinks of happy moments, to try and calm down the frantic beat of his heart. 

He takes a deep breath and makes his way up to the main deck. 

The wind is warm and sticky, blowing in his hair. It feels good against the sweaty skin of his neck. It calms his nerves, still tense from the nightmare he had earlier. From the anxious feeling he always gets whenever his mind tells him, _ what if you never find him? _

He closes his eyes and lets himself be rocked by the steady rhythm of the ocean. He concentrates on the feeling of the wind against his skin, on the thick, salty smell in the air. He can hear a few birds sing, meaning they aren’t that far from land.

When he opens his eyes, he waves at Dum Dum who’s there holding the helm, sailing the ship as calmly as he can. He looks up to see Clint at the very top of the mainmast, looking in the distance as he confirms Bucky suspicions, “Land’s close, Captain.”

“Stop calling me that,” Bucky mumbles, even though Clint can’t hear him.

Quite quickly into their escape, the men started calling him _ Captain_. Which he is not. They were all equal parts of the King’s guard. None of them were real sailors before all of this, for fuck’s sake! He knew nothing about boats, the Captain should have been Gabe. Or even Dum Dum.

But apparently, since he was the one who initiated their escape and had the idea about stealing the ship, since they all knew that the main mission, finding Steve, was kind of his own main goal well, they decided he was the boss. 

Bucky is so grateful for them, though. He would have walked the earth by himself to get back to Steve if he had to. But to be completely honest, it’s way better to do it with your friends having your back. 

“Do you know what island we are reaching, Dum Dum?”

The older man turns to face him, still holding onto the helm with steady hands. “I don’t know, but let me tell you, I’ve seen more welcoming land than this one,” he says with a grimace.

“Hydra’s?” Bucky asks, feeling his stomach twisting with dread at the mere thought of crossing paths with those men again.

Clint makes his way down the sails swiftly and then jumps on the main deck next to Bucky and Dum Dum. “There are barricades all over the island, doesn’t look like we’d be very welcome here, Bucky.”

“What the hell,” Bucky says before turning around to look at the horizon. Indeed, in the middle of the fog ahead of them, a few miles away, he can see an island taking shape. It looks dead, and abandoned. It looks like a ghost land.

Bucky feels the hair on his arms rise in anticipation. He turns back to face Clint and Dum Dum. “Okay then, wake up the crew, we’ll need all the help we can get. Arm yourself, gentlemen, we have no idea what we’re about to meet down there.”

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

When they reach the shore of the island, it looks like a ghost land from up close as much as it did from afar. It looks like nobody has been here in what looks like years. The vegetation is wild and it hides whatever path could lead further into the island, the beach is littered with bones and pieces of wood from what looks like old ships. There is also some big fence like whoever is living here really is not too keen on visitors.

Only Bucky, Clint and Gabe were brave enough to jump on land, everybody else stating they should stay and guard the ship.

Bucky doesn’t blame them; this place looks creepy as hell.

Clint brought the bow and arrow that never leaves him, Bucky has his usual knives strapped to his body under his clothes, and Gabe’s hand is on his sword, ready to unleash. They slowly walk down the beach, leaving the boat behind them, trying to find a way to get into the wild jungle that has taken over such a big part of the island. Whenever they try to get between a few branches, it’s like a wall of leaves is blocking the way.

“HANDS UP! WEAPONS WHERE I CAN SEE THEM!” comes a booming voice to their left. They turn around quickly, Bucky’s knife ready and Clint’s bow tight between his fingers, arrow ready to be shot. 

“It’s you!” Clint says, lowering his bow as soon as he got it up. He’s looking with wide eyes at one of the women standing before them and Bucky remembers her too. She’s the redhead from a few weeks ago, from the little village they stopped in. Now she’s pointing a sword at them. Next to her stands a dark haired woman. She is taller than the redhead, and she looks just as menacing, ready to cut their throats at any wrong movement. 

Bucky hears some branches crack around them and he knows they are surrounded by a lot more people than they can see. He drops his knife by his feet and lifts his hands up in the air as he surrenders. Gabe and Clint do the same with their own weapons. 

Bucky doesn’t dare take a step closer to the two deadly looking ladies pointing their blades at them, but he still wants to explain himself and let them know they are not a threat.

“Are you Hydra?” he asks, looking between both women with worried eyes.

“Fuck no! Are _ you _?” asks the dark haired one with such a disgusted look on her face that Bucky can’t help but believe her. You can’t fake that much hatred towards those assholes.

“We’re not. My name is James Barnes, these men here are Gabe and Clint, they are part of my crew. We escaped Hydra’s hold five years ago. We’ve been looking desperately for Prince Steven since we left.”

Both women lowers their swords at the same time, and they quickly look at each other with their brows furrowed in confusion. The redhead takes a step towards Bucky and she looks at him for a very long moment. She keeps her weapon down, where Bucky can see it. He feels like she’s searching the depths of his soul with her wide green eyes. “What did you say your name was again?” she asks, her voice deeper than he thought, and there is a hint of surprise lacing it.

“Barnes. James Barnes.”

The dark haired one grabs the weapons they previously dropped on the ground before saying, “I think you guys need to follow us.”

So they do. They don’t really have any other choice, to be honest. There were ladies, back in the Kingdom, who were part of the King’s guard, lady-knights who were way stronger and more savage then Bucky ever was. But he never met any as scary as these two. 

They go deeper into the jungle, following the women, not really knowing where they are going. Bucky tries to tell himself that they are probably not in danger since the ladies had dropped their weapons but still, they visited some lands much more welcoming than this one, like Dum Dum said earlier.

They realize soon enough that they weren’t alone in following the two women wherever they were being led. A couple of men, two with dark hair and dark skin, and a smaller one with dusty blond hair, were now following their march into the woods. 

As they walk, Bucky thinks and hopes, because they did instantly change their attitude as soon as Bucky mentioned Steve, that they know something about him. Maybe they could help them find Steve and restore him to his throne.

They walk for maybe half an hour in complete silence apart from the cracks of the branches and a few birds singing until they reach what looks like a small village.

There are a few tiny houses here and there, they look old but also like they are well preserved. It’s like whoever lives here takes great care of them. They are a few bigger ones in the back - what looks like stables and a barn. 

The redhead knocks on the very first little cabin they see and a tall man dressed in all black and wearing an eye patch opens the door to them. He is holding a ginger cat in his arms and it’s a weird sight to behold, Bucky thinks. “Who are they?” the man asks, without even sparing a look at them. The redhead leans closer to him and says, her voice low but not low enough for Bucky to miss it, “The long haired one claims he’s James Barnes, Nick.”

It’s enough to have the man turn and look at Bucky with a very judgmental eye, “And are you, son? Because we really don’t have time for your lies.” Bucky looks down at the cat and he feels judgment in its eyes too.

“I…I am. But I don’t understand, how do you know who I am?”

“Oh we heard about you, Barnes. Come with me. The girls will take care of those two,” the man called Nick says, nodding his head towards Clint and Gabe. Nick lets the cat go and the animal instantly wanders around the little town like he owns it. 

The man starts walking in long strides further down the little road and Bucky quickly follows him. They pass a few of those little cabins and Bucky notices they all have something different, from the color of the roof or the door, about how they are decorated. 

They reach one of the very last on the left of the dirt road. It’s door is painted a bright blue color, with all kinds of funny little doodles covering it. Bucky feels his heart jump in his chest at the sight of it. It’s been years since he saw those little silly things. He remembers doodles just like these, drawn in blue ink on cream colored parchment, back when he was just a tiny little thing trying to learn and impress his new royal best friend. 

The man, _ Nick _, Bucky reminds himself, opens the door and all but pushes Bucky inside. He turns around, quickly, because he really doesn’t want to be held prisoner again. He feels anxiety rise in his throat just thinking about it but, just as he was about to bang on the door and scream, there is movement behind him and a surprised voice calls, “Excuse me?”

There aren’t words to describe how Bucky feels in that moment. He would recognize that voice anywhere. He still hears it in his dreams every damn night. It’s what kept him alive through many battles. It’s for that voice only that he wakes up every morning, for the singular hope of hearing it again. 

He turns around and faces what he thought would be Steve. But the man standing in front of him, he is taller than Bucky. His shoulders are strong and large, his face his wider and his legs and his thighs… Bucky thinks he might be dreaming. 

The man, he says “BUCKY?!” and Bucky lifts his eyes up and he meets the bright blue ones he missed so much. Those are the same, the exact same blue as the ocean. The man, he doesn’t look like the Steve he knew and yet, it’s still him. The voice, the lips, the eyes, the crook in his nose… What happened? Since when did he become this handsome tall man? 

He was always good looking to Bucky, always beautiful even before he learned what beautiful meant. And now it’s not that he is worse or better, no. He’s just different, and somehow it’s still him. It’s still _ his _ Steve. His Prince. Bucky feels dizzy with all that information, suddenly.

He hasn't said a word yet and Steve all but runs to him and wraps his big, strong arms around Bucky. Bucky’s face is now pressed into the warm, soft place where Steve’s shoulder meets his neck. His smell is the same, even five years later. It’s him. Bucky feels tears filling his eyes and he wraps his arms painfully tight around Steve’s waist, squeezing him so hard like he’s scared he might vanish again.

“I thought you were dead!” Steve says and his voice is thick with unshed tears.

The only thing Bucky can do is mumble, his lips still pressed against Steve's skin, “I thought you were smaller.”

And it makes Steve laugh, and suddenly, even though he is miles away from it, even if he lost it years ago, Bucky feels home again. 

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

As soon as the door to his cabin opens, Steve turns around, expecting to see Nat or Nick because they are the only ones to just barge in without even knocking. To think he was a Prince before with some sort of privacy is beyond him. But as he takes in the person who just passed his door, his heart drops to the bottom of his stomach. Because in front of him is _ Bucky _. 

Sure, he is a bit skinnier than he once was, there is a tiredness to his face that Steve never saw before. His hair is longer, thicker, wilder. There is even what looks like black makeup around his beautiful stormy eyes. But it’s him. He’s alive.

It is the love of his life, standing right in front of him. His clothes are nothing like what they used to be. He is wearing a thick, purple coat, that is way too big on him and there are colorful beads in his hair. He looks like he went through hell and back. And still, he is here. Alive and breathing, he is here in Steve’s room and he feels like crying. Steve feels like all of his prayers have finally been answered. 

He’d heard some visitors had arrived on Shield Island. So he stayed hidden in his cabin like Fury asked him too. They never know if it will be some goons from Hydra, and they never let Steve fight with them, it’s always _ stay hidden, Steve. You need to stay safe. _

They tried to bring him with them a few times, when they were traveling for information or to grab more food. But even now that he is a head,if not more, taller, people were looking at him with wide eyes. It doesn’t matter if his shoulders are broader and his breath, his heart, his everything really, is much steadier. People tend to recognize him, because even through all the change, deep down, he is still Steve, still the Prince people are hoping to return. They keep reminding him that he still needs protection and that they are more than glad to take care of him. But really, what was the point in giving him all these muscles and strength if he can’t use them?

Today, he did listen to them, though, he stayed safe and hidden in his cabin. That is, until a very confused Bucky got pushed inside of it.

Steve knows instantly that Bucky recognizes him even through all the changes. He looks confused, his tired eyes looking Steve up and down but there is something in them, a thrill, a genuine happiness and disbelief at finding his best friend. 

Steve knows there is pretty much the same look on his own face. 

He closes the distance between them in a few quick steps and wraps his arms around Bucky, holding him close. Feeling Bucky’s body against his own, hard and real, it grounds him. It makes the last bit of doubt that he might have been dreaming just disappear. Bucky is real. He’s here. He’s alive.

Bucky found him.

“I thought you were dead,” he says to Bucky. Whatever happened that night is so blurry in Steve’s memory. He never knew if Bucky made it alive. All he remembers is waking up on that beach, his mind filled with all those horrible memories, his head hurting and thinking he wasn’t going to survive the night. 

“I thought you were smaller,” Bucky answers him, his voice muffled against the skin of Steve’s neck. 

Steve lets him go, but keeps his hand steady on Bucky’s shoulders - like he’s scared he will vanish if he lets go of him. It makes warmth spread inside of his chest, the fact that Bucky is still holding to the fabric of his clothes, too. He has a fist closed around the fabric of Steve’s shirt, his knuckles turning white. 

That’s when Steve notices how bad they look. There are scars and burn marks all over the skin of his best friend’s hand.

“Bucky, what happened!?” Steve exclaims, taking Bucky’s hand into his, prying it open so he can inspect it closer. Bucky tries to take it back, to take a step away from Steve, but Steve is faster and stronger now. He just grabs the hand back and he sees surprise in Bucky’s eyes, just a flash, but it’s there. Steve knows he owes him explanations for what he looks like now.

“Tell me, Bucky, who hurt you? I’ll tell you everything about me, I promise. But who did this to you?”

There is anger in Steve’s voice as he speaks the last few words - he can’t help it. They hurt him. Not only did they kill his parents and take his kingdom, but they took the person he loves _ most _ and they hurt him.

“Hydra,” Bucky answers, looking outside one of the little windows of the cabin. He’s looking at Clint and Gabe talking with Natasha and Maria, Fury’s eye never leaving them even from his spot a bit farther away from them. Steve follows his gaze, and he is happy, seeing Gabe and Clint; knowing that a few more of his father’s loyal men survived the fall. 

“We were prisoners for about a year, I think. They tortured us. They wanted to make me talk, they were sure I knew where you were…”

Steve pushes at Bucky sleeve then, seeing that the scars run all the way up his forearm. He knows that they go even further than that. He knows just by the way Bucky looks away, swallowing hard like he is embarrassed. He wants to pull his hand from Steve’s grasp again, but Steve lifts it to his mouth, and presses one lingering kiss right in the middle of Bucky’s palm.

“I’m so sorry, Buck.”

Something wonderful happens in Bucky’s eyes as he looks up in surprise. His grey eyes, locked on Steve’s blue ones. It’s almost like there was a flash of desire in them, but it’s gone too quick. Steve can’t be sure. Maybe he’s only seeing what he wants to see. Maybe he missed Bucky so much that he is imagining things.

What he doesn’t imagine is the way Bucky’s voice shakes as he finally take his hands from Steve’s, turning his back to him and muttering, “S’fine. I survived, Steve.”

He goes and sits in Steve’s armchair, the one right by his bed, taking his purple coat off and resting it on the back of it. He rolls his sleeves a bit, not much higher than his elbows and he unlaces the collar of his cream shirt as well, revealing collarbones much sharper than before. 

There, covering his chest, is the beautiful fuzz Steve still has dreams about. 

Steve looks away for a second because it’s suddenly too much. The gold hue of Bucky’s skin in the bright light of the sun shining outside, the way it makes the unshed tears in his eyes shine so much brighter. It’s a painful reminder that Steve hurt him. He just got him back and already, he made him upset.

“I’m sorry…”

Bucky looks up sharply, his voice just as sharp, “Steve, none of this is your fault. You have nothing to apologize for.”

“No, I meant…I made you upset, talking about it. I’m sorry.”

Bucky’s eyes soften then and he sighs tiredly, sitting on the settee in front of the fire, shoulders hunching as he leans forward, fingers buried in his hair. “You didn’t. You deserve to know what happened to me. Now come here, and tell me what the hell they’ve been feeding you for the last five years.”

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

Steve talks for what feels like hours. There is a knock on his door at one point and it’s Peggy, as Steve introduces her to Bucky. Her hands are full of food that she puts on Steve’s table saying, “I thought you boys might be hungry.” She sends a small smile Steve’s way before turning back to Bucky. “It’s a pleasure meeting you, James. I’ve heard a lot about you. By the way, we sent some food to the rest of your crew, on the ship,” she adds. She squeezes Steve’s shoulder before leaving and it makes Bucky frown a little as he dives into the food and Steve can’t help but wonder why. 

Bucky’s definitely way too hungry for questions because the disappointed look quickly leaves his face as he starts devouring a loaf of bread like a starved man. It makes Steve smile at him because, well, some things really never change.

“We were kinda low on sustenance when we spotted the island…” Bucky mumbles apologetically, mouth full and a bit pink in the face. It makes Steve’s smile fondly and laugh again as he pushes the plate closer to his friend. 

Steve tells Bucky about that night, the last one they saw each other. As soon as everything started to go to shit, he tells him that one of the knights who was closer to the dining table grabbed him by the arm and literally dragged him away. He pushed him in one of the secret passages, telling him to run. Steve doesn’t even remember who it was, everything went so fast. He heard screams and loud banging coming from the room so he fled. He ran and ran into the dark hidden corridors until he reached the door leading him outside.

He tells Bucky everything, about the small boat he found, about his fears of leaving everyone behind. About how quickly he fainted and woke up on the beach of this very island.

“A man found me, Abraham Erskine, and he went to ask for help and they brought me here. We are on Shield Island, by the way. Erskine, he was some wizard? Some scientist? He was a brilliant man, anyway…They all say he was making magic, and truly, I believe them. Apparently, I was about to die and he saved me. He used to be one of Hydra, Erskine. They were working on some kind of potion, a serum he told me. It was for Hydra, to create invincible soldiers. He ran away from them with it, because he was scared of what Hydra might do with it. But he gave it to me, and I healed. And I grew a few inches taller… And wider, as you can see.”

Bucky’s smile looks a bit sad when he says, “That’s amazing, Steve.”

“You look…disappointed?” Steve asks him, and it hurts a little. 

Steve has to admit that he thought more than once about seeing Bucky again. About finding his way back to him. A small part of Steve was always hopeful that maybe Bucky would like him better like he was now. Maybe, he’ll look at him, now that he looked like a real prince and he’ll see Steve in a way he didn’t before.

“Oh, Steve, of course not. You’re healthy! You’re ALIVE! How could I be disappointed? It’s a lot to take in, that’s all. I hate the fact that you almost died. And, you know what? They helped you grow into the man you always were inside.”

Steve looks at his hands, resting on his knees then, avoiding Bucky’s eyes, knowing there’s color to his cheeks now, “I guess, yeah.”

“Yes! Don’t think I’ll ever forget that you’re meant for great things, Stevie,” Bucky says, punching his shoulder playfully, trying to lighten up the mood a little. “Ow!” he says holding his hand to his chest. “Okay so, those are real muscles. _ Ow_, remind me not to do that again.”

Steve bites down on his lower lip to keep himself from laughing. But it feels good, being here with him again, being able to laugh together like they used to. He’s reminded, painfully, of how he missed Bucky with every single fiber of his being. 

When he looks at Bucky, he sees the same emotions in his eyes, so he listens to his heart and just grabs him, pulling his best friend into a crushing hug.

They stay like that in silence for a little while. Maybe it’s for too long, more than what two friends normally would go for, but Steve couldn’t care less. Steve marvels at how Bucky’s hair still manages to smell the same after all those years. He loves how it feels to be the bigger one this time, to hold Bucky against him when it was, for so long, the other way around. 

Way too soon for Steve’s liking, Bucky sits back up, straightening up and avoiding Steve’s eyes. He rubs at his owns quickly, chasing a few tears away, but then he swears. He smudged all of his makeup and his fingers are now stained black, causing him to look like a grumpy racoon and it makes Steve smile.

“You have a bit of-” Steve smiles, gesturing around his own eyes with laughter in his voice.

“Yeah! No shit?!” Bucky replies, but he is laughing too, the tension from earlier already lifting between them.

He gets up and walks to Steve’s basin, grabbing a clean cloth, wiping his face, and drying his hands. 

He looks much younger like that, Steve thinks, face scrubbed pink. He looks like the Bucky he thought he lost. _ His Bucky _.

“So, who are all of those new friends of yours outside? Those two girls almost made us shit our pants earlier, just saying,” Bucky says, pointing at Maria and Natasha. “You got yourself quite an awesome protection squad.”

Steve smiles, he knows how intimidated he was by them when he first got here as well. 

“They are part of the resistance, they’ve been trying to stop Hydra for years now.” Steve gets up and walks next to Bucky by the window, they are all outside now, talking with Clint and Gabe in what looks to be a friendly way. “The one next to Fury is Phil, he’s kind of his second. The redhead is Nat, the tall dark haired one is Maria. You know Peggy now. The one with the funny beard is Tony. He thinks he’s a genius or something. And the other two are Rhodey and Sam. Oh, and the one with long blond hair is Thor.”

Bucky looks at him fondly, “They are your friends right?”

“They are, yeah…They are a pain in my ass and they treat me with too much care sometimes, though. I know they have good intentions, but I _ just _ got them to stop calling me _ Highness _, Bucky, you know how much I hate that.”

It makes Bucky laugh and everything settles suddenly inside Steve’s chest. Everything will be fine. He just knows it.

“Oh, I know, _ Sire _.”

“Ugh will you stop?” Steve says, pushing him away, but being careful not to hurt him in the process. “ Come on, I’ll introduce you to all of them.”

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

Bucky has to admit, they are all kind of scary in their very own personal way. Thor is a peculiar one. Bucky feels like he might be able to break him in half without any effort, but as soon as Steve introduces them, he grabs Bucky into a bear hug, lifting his feet from the ground and telling the whole crowd, “I am so happy to meet Steven’s favorite person!” and it makes a very embarrassing blush bloom on Bucky’s face.

He also has to admit that he instantly likes them all, though. Because he knows how important Steve is to them, and not only as Prince, not only as a way to get their Kingdom back, no, but as a _ person _. Steve made friends for what he truly is inside, not because of his title or his parents’ worth, and it makes Bucky’s heart swell with love and pride.

With Steve, they go down to the beach to get the rest of his crew from where they stayed behind on the ship. Bucky feels weirdly emotional as some of them instantly recognize Steve, bowing to him, falling on their knees in front of their Prince. 

Or rather, their King, now that they got him back. It sends a wave of hope through his men. Hope Bucky felt as soon as he looked into those bright blue eyes a few hours prior.

They bring enough stuff so the crew can camp on the island. Since all of the little cabins are occupied by part of Shield’s resistance team, they would have to sleep in tents. It’s more than okay with most of his men, they would all easily choose a night of rest on the ground instead of a stormy night at sea. Even if they all enjoy their life on the ship, they weren’t meant to be sailors; escaping Hydra made them what they are now. 

When they get back to camp with Bucky’s men following their steps, dinner has been served. They set a big table outside and it’s filled with food. Peggy, helped by Sam and Thor, is bringing chairs so everybody can sit. They look up in surprise when they see more men are following Bucky and Steve, but Thor only smiles before walking towards the barn, bringing back large logs under his impressive arms. 

“The more the merrier,” he says, a bright smile on his face.

Fury walks closer to them, welcoming Bucky’s men as well. “It’s good to know we have back up against Hydra, gentlemen. You can sit and you’re more than welcome to share this meal with us.”

As people start taking places for dinner, Bucky feels Steve grab at his wrist, pulling him towards the table so they can sit next to each other. They end up on the logs, but it’s fine with Bucky, because as soon as they sit down, he feels Steve’s knee press right against his own and it’s grounding him. 

The food is delicious and his men, even though they must be as starved as he was earlier, they try their best to eat at a normal pace. Every single one of them makes a point of thanking their hosts for the wonderful dinner. They help clearing the table as well, and Bucky notices how Clint keeps close to the pretty redhead, Natasha, since they arrived. Steve catches his eyes and smiles knowingly at him like he noticed too.

“Should I worry for Clint? She looks… scary?”

Steve laughs and leans even closer, his strong shoulder pressing into Bucky’s own. He’s so warm, almost giddy from all the food and wine and Bucky feels dizzy with it too. “If she had anything against him, trust me, he would be tied up to a beam in the barn by now.” He giggles as he says so, his cheeks pink from the alcohol he drank.

Bucky is hit right in the middle of his chest with so much love he feels unbalanced by it. He never stopped, in those five years, loving this man with all he has. 

He looks down at his plate, shaking his head and hiding his smile and his eyes fill with tears. It couldn’t be then, when they were back at the castle, with Steve being the heir of the Kingdom of New York and his royal duties, and they still can’t be now. 

Now, he’s the King. He’s alive and they will get him back on his throne where he deserves to be. Bucky can’t let his feelings cloud his judgment. Not again.

After dinner, they make a fire and keep drinking wine as they all sit around and it feels good. Fury lets them know that as early as tomorrow morning they need to set up a plan, about how they can make Hydra fall. That they need to start training for the big fight that is to come. But for tonight, they all deserve some rest. 

“Your men have the right to celebrate that their King is alive and well,” he adds, looking at Bucky.

Bucky learns a bit more about everyone that night. He learns that Sam and Rhodey used to live in the same village and it got burned down by Hydra’s men a few years ago. They both lost all of their family. Sam also lost his lover, Riley. 

They managed to escape and went after Hydra for vengeance. But sadly, two men can’t really do much against such a big organization. Even as angry and determined as they were.  
  
Maria, Phil and Fury (Bucky noticed only Maria and Natasha are calling him by his first name) were working with Pierce and they got manipulated and betrayed by him. They were sure he was a good man for a while and that his purpose was a good one. When they learned about the villages being burned, about his plan to take the throne from the King, they tried to stop him, but sadly they failed. They even faked Fury’s own death to get away from him.

They are the ones who went and started recruiting all of them. To make things right. They went from village to village, hearing people’s stories about what happened and what they lost to Pierce, and they promised them vengeance.

Fury found Natasha first, she was part of one of Hydra’s branches. She was trained by them since she was a little girl, to be one of the most skilled assassins of their organization. It was Natasha who found Sam and Rhodey one night in a tavern and when she heard about their plans to avenge their family, she brought them to Shield. 

Tony came here with his dad, Howard. Bucky learns that around a year after Steve got saved, Erskine and Howard got caught by Hydra on a trip they took. They went to get ingredients to make more of the serum that saved Steve. The vegetation on the island, as diverse as it is, wasn’t good enough for most of the serums and potions they needed to make. But they got arrested and killed. Tony stayed here, trying to keep his father’s legacy alive and he started working on weapons for them. 

Peggy was one of Erskine’s assistants before he died. She’s really good at making all kinds of potions and serums as well. Plus, she’s one hell of a fighter.

Thor arrived on the beach around the same time Steve did. He came on a small boat and none of them never knew where he came from, really. He does talk about it sometimes like it’s far, far away. He’s stronger than any man on Shield, even stronger than Steve is now. He talks about his parents sometimes, about a missing sibling as well. 

Bucky looks at him talk and thinks he looks almost unreal, _ god-like _. But Bucky shakes his head, clearing his mind, because gods don’t walk on earth with mortals. That’s only in books. 

The girls are the first to announce they’re going to bed, and they all walk to the bigger cabin, the one that they all share. Then slowly, everybody, from Shield’s resistance and also from Bucky’s men, start leaving too; everyone deserves a good night’s rest.

Bucky doesn’t know whose tent he will share tonight really, they set up a few in the field behind the barn. He hates sleeping with Dum Dum because the man snores loud enough to wake up the whole island. Clint, he talks. He could hold a whole conversation with you while he sleeps, and he never remembers a single word the next morning.

“You uh… You can, if you want I mean… You can share with me.” Steve’s says from where he was slouched in the grass next to Bucky. He’s resting on his hands, legs sprawled in front of him. His hair is a mess from how much he played with it and the fire is reflecting in his blue eyes. The laces on the front of his shirt are undone, revealing collarbones Bucky wants to bite into. 

He always had a thing for that part of him.

“Could be like old times,” Steve adds, shrugging one of his shoulders and avoiding Bucky’s eyes, looking straight into the moving flames.

“Sure. Of course, Steve.” He hopes his voice is steadier than the tremble of his heart at the thought of sharing a bed with Steve. 

It won’t be the first time, they often did that when they were children. Bucky fell asleep in Steve’s bed more than once when the latter was sick. Or when they just started talking and talking and telling each other stories until the first thing they knew, it was pitch dark outside, and Bucky’s room was way too far. It was much easier to lay down next to Steve. To wake up to those blue eyes lit up by the early morning sun.

But, the truth is, it’s been a very long time since Bucky shared a bed with someone. He is a bit scared about how his body might react, especially since he will be sleeping next to Steve. 

“You can go. I’ll bring you some hot water so you can clean up a bit. I know you might be dying to, I remember how vain you are,” Steve says to him with a smirk as they are standing up. Bucky pushes at Steve’s chest at those words. He lets his hand linger a bit longer than usual, it’s like every reason to touch Steve is a good one. It’s like his body is on auto pilot and he missed Steve so much, that he needs to feel him under his hands as often as he can.

“Yeah, I’m the vain one, your _ Highness _.”

“Stop calling me that!”

They start rough housing a little bit, pushing and pulling and fake punching at each other as they laugh, making their way towards Steve’s cabin. They do separate for the time Steve gets him some water and it feels kind of weird, having Steve tend to him. He never really felt that much of a social gap between them as they grew up but, at the end of the day, Steve was a prince and Bucky was just a knight of the King’s guard. 

It reminds Bucky of how much everything changed.

Steve brings the bassin back, shortly after Bucky starts taking his clothes off. The water smells like lavender and lemon and Steve blushes a bit when Bucky says so. “It’s the girls, they always put some oils in it.”

Bucky removes his shirt with his back to Steve because he doesn’t want to see his eyes when he notices the scars running all the way up to his shoulder. He is grateful for the lower light the few candles are providing in the cabin. He rubs the wet cloth over his sweaty skin and sore muscles and the lavender smells makes him feel incredibly sleepy all of sudden. It’s like all the stress of the day, of finding this weird island, of getting threatened and then, finally, being reunited with Steve is being washed away. 

When he turns around, Steve is already resting on his side on the bed, looking at him with sleepy eyes. His back is pressed against the wall so it leaves a small space for Bucky next to him. 

“I’m sorry, we don’t have bigger beds and there’s not really space on the floor. I hope it doesn’t bother you,” Steve starts rambling but Bucky’s too sleepy for that.

“Steve, it’s you, of course it’s okay. We did that hundreds of times, remember?”

He lays his head on the pillow, facing Steve and it’s suddenly so hard to keep his eyes open. The mattress is soft and warm and so is Steve, resting so close to him. He remembers putting a hand on Steve’s shoulder and hearing his voice but it’s too late, he’s already far gone in the land of dreams.

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

Steve awakes the next morning and it’s been a very long time since he felt so well rested. The sun is seeping through the thin curtains of his cabin and he feels its warmth all over his skin. 

He is still on his side but he is now holding Bucky’s body to him. Steve’s chest is pressed against Bucky’s back, with one arm wrapped tightly around his friend’s torso. Their legs are tangled as well and Steve’s face is pressed against the back of Bucky’s neck where he still smells of lavender and lemon oil.

There isn’t a part of their warm, sleepy bodies that aren’t touching.

“Good morning,” Bucky mumbles and his voice sounds a bit tight, even laced with sleep, so Steve releases him. He then turns on his back or at least, he tries to in the tiny space of his bed. He’s glad that his lower half is hidden under the sheet of his bed and he silently prays that Bucky didn’t feel how happy Steve was to wake up wrapped up around his best friend like that.

So yeah, his feelings definitely didn’t go away in the five years they were away from each other. It’s like a permanent mark, all over his heart. It’s like, no matter when or where, Bucky is always the one to turn the blood in his veins into fire. 

“Sorry…” Steve mumbles dumbly, now staring at the ceiling, playing idly with the fabric of the sheets.

Bucky rolls over to look at him and his cheeks are a bit flushed, his lips and eyes still puffy with sleep. “Don’t be, I haven’t slept that well in ages, Steve. Who knew that wall of muscles could be so comfortable,” he says, sending a wink Steve’s way before getting out of bed, his back is turned to Steve as he starts dressing up.

In the bright morning sun, Steve’s breath catches in his throat as he takes in the spiderweb of scars covering Bucky’s body. The left arm and shoulder are the worst, but there’s some on his back as well.

“Oh, Bucky…”

Bucky turns around as he is lacing his shirt up, and his gaze turns sharp. “Don’t, okay? I don’t want your pity, Steve.”

Steve stands up and walks to him, not even bothering with putting some clothes on. He grabs Bucky’s wrist in his hands and pulls his friend closer to him, forcing Bucky to look up into his eyes. 

Steve can’t help but relish in this moment a little, because his memories are filled with him looking up at Bucky and not the other way around.

“It’s not pity Bucky, I care okay? I care about you, so much. And you’ve been hurt so it hurts me too. Yeah I have this brand new body now and I’m healthy and strong and I am glad, okay? I don’t have any regrets, but I can’t help feeling bad that I got lucky while you were being tortured in my own father’s dungeons.”

“I would have given up my life to save you, Steve. So don’t ever feel guilty that you survived. That you were saved and healed, okay?”

Steve shakes his head. Why are they being such prideful idiots at the crack of dawn? Why are they arguing when they just got each other back?

“Well I’m glad you’re alive. I’m glad I got you back,” he says, because no, he doesn’t want to fight with Bucky, not today, not ever.

“So am I,” Bucky says, voice suddenly turning soft. “When did you become such a sap, anyway? Was that part of that magic potion they give you?” he adds and he is smiling now and Steve feels relief spread from his head to his toes.

They finish getting dressed and stop by what seems to be the kitchen to find Sam sitting there eating a piece of bread with little berries spread on top. He looks a bit hungover, but he still smiles at them brightly. He teases Steve a bit about something as Bucky grabs food for himself. He doesn’t hear what he says, but it brings color to Steve’s face.

“Sam says Fury wants to see us,” Steve tells him when he gets back to Bucky with a whole loaf of bread in his hand, tearing it apart before sharing it with him. 

The man is sitting outside of his cabin when they get there and is reading a book in the sun. The orange cat from yesterday is underneath his chair; Bucky kneels in front of it hoping to pet the animal but Fury stops him quickly. “Don’t get too close to Goose,” he tells him, “he bites.” 

Fury invites them inside, Goose making his way in as well, running between Bucky’s legs and almost making him fall face first on the ground. The cat jumps on the bed and starts washing himself, not paying any of them attention. 

“Gentlemen, we will leave in a few weeks. Barnes, all of your men were King Joseph’s knights, right?”

“Yes, sir.”

“You’re all trained to fight then? We definitely can use that. I want your men to train with my crew. We could use all the help we can get.”

“Can I train too?” Steve asks hopefully.

Fury turns quickly towards him, looking at him for a very long moment. “Your high- _ Steve _. You know I want you to stay safe. I don’t want to compromise the chances we have to put you back on the throne, where you belong.”

Steve takes a deep breath and he is about to protest when Fury lifts a hand like the discussion is over. Bucky is not having it.

“Excuse me, sir, but with all due respect, I’ve known Steve all my life. And even when he was half the size that he is now, he always had the heart of a fighter. So what’s the point of healing him, of giving him strength and health, if not for using it to our advantage? I can train with him and see how it goes, if you like. I’ll go easy on him, I promise.”

Bucky sees from the corner of his eye, how Steve is looking at him with disbelief. And Fury looks mostly mad at him. But the thing is, Bucky doesn’t have any regrets about what he just said. He believes in Steve, he always has. And he noticed since he got to the island how strong and solid Steve is now and he knows he could fight. He could help them. 

He doesn’t see how useful it can be to have him sit there and wait while they fight in a battle that is pretty much his own. It’s not fair to keep him away from the action.

Fury looks between the two of them for a moment, his brows furrowed as he thinks it over. “It’s not that I don’t trust Steve to fight. But he’s our King, this whole fight is useless in the end if we lose him in the process.”

“You won’t. You won’t lose him because I’m here to have his back.”

Steve smiles at him, squeezing at his shoulder and he looks suddenly very emotional and it makes Bucky’s throat tight with unshed tears as well. It’s just the truth. Bucky always vowed to protect Steve. Even more so now that they are finally back with each other.

“Fine, you two can train together first, and then if he’s good, we’ll let him train with the others. Happy?”

Steve nods at Fury, smiling big and bright while the other man, impassive as ever, is just staring back. “Very! Thank you, Nick.”

“Yeah, yeah don’t break a sweat about it. Now let’s go back to serious business.”

Fury starts pacing in the very small space of the cabin, as he explains to them what the plan of action is. They have a ship, ready to have them sail back to Brooklyn’s Island. They are waiting for more help, which is coming from their allies in Wakanda. 

“We are waiting for King T’Challa’s arrival to make our departure.”

Bucky remembers that name, he remembers how Wakanda was one of King’s Joseph closest allies back when he was still alive. Their Kingdom is a hidden one, nobody can sail there unless they know the way and unless they are welcomed there. Bucky and his men tried to find it, tried to ask them for help, but they never did manage to make their way there. Apparently, Fury was luckier than them.   
  


.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

A few days later, the real training starts and it feels good. It feels good not only to be back on land, to stop running away, but to go back to training. Bucky feels the changes in his body quick enough. The first few days he was so sore he could barely make it to the bed. But now, the aches feel good.

That, and waking up wrapped up in Steve’s arms every single morning.

He got a few weird looks from Clint the very first morning, when they both emerged from Steve’s cabin. Weird looks not because he was judging, no. But Clint is one of the very few who knows the truth about his feelings for Steve. And Bucky knows his friend is only worried about his heart being broken. 

Bucky could return the feeling though, because Clint has been following Natasha around the island like a lost puppy since they got here. She doesn’t look too bothered by him, but she also looks like she could crush his heart with her boot and then walk away without even turning back. 

They’ve been helping and making friends with the rest of the resistance since they got here. Bucky loves seeing his men truly happy for the first time in what seems like forever. Clint and Sam love to train together and Clint’s been teaching him how to use a bow and arrow. They’ve been on trips all over Shield Island together to observe the different kinds of birds and Bucky didn’t ask but both of them were super excited.

Gabe and Peggy quickly became friends as well as he got curious about her use of plants and their magical properties as well. They spend most of their days together, bent over thick books or going on hikes when they are not training.

It’s nice to see them all getting along so well, not only when training to fight, but for all kinds of mundane activities as well. They all make a great team and Bucky is confident about how good they can be on a battlefield. 

Bucky just finished helping Sam chopping some wood for tonight’s fire and he took a bath and washed his hair. He is now sitting in clean clothes in front of Steve’s little mirror, looking at himself, contemplating his time on Shield so far, and also himself.

He’s gained back a bit of weight since they arrived, being fed well and also more regularly than they were on the ship. He sleeps better too, and the deep circles under his eyes are not as heavy as they once were.

He looks at himself and thinks about what he could do with his hair. He doesn’t want to chop it off, he’s quite fond of it, but it’s hot on the island these days and his long, thick hair is not really convenient. 

There is a knock on the door and when Bucky turns around, Thor is standing in the doorway, smiling at him. “Hello, James. Steven isn’t here?”

“No,” Bucky says, shaking his head, “he went to help Peggy in the kitchens.”

Bucky looks at Thor’s long hair, and at the pretty braids in it. He even twisted his long beard in the same pattern. “Hey, Thor? Could you teach me how to do that?” he asks, gesturing to the other man’s hair. 

“Of course!” he says, happily stepping inside the cabin. What he wanted to ask Steve was quickly forgotten.

He grabs Bucky’s hair in his big hands and explains as he does so, how he twists and turns Bucky’s dark strands of hair. Bucky tries his best to follow what Thor is telling him, but he talks quickly and moves even quicker and he’s not exactly sure if he could recreate that look by himself later. 

When Steve comes back to the cabin, Thor and Bucky are laughing at some story Thor's been telling him. He is talking about all the silly pranks his sibling Loki used to play on him. Bucky is laughing so hard that there are tears in his eyes and it only spurs Thor to turn the story into something even sillier and unbelievable. 

Bucky catches Steve’s eyes in the mirror and he is frowning, with his hands on his hips, “What are you guys doing?”

He doesn’t look angry but there’s something in his eyes, in the tone of his voice, that Bucky can’t place. He can’t inspect it any further though, because Thor, with his big hands, quickly turns Bucky’s head around showing Steve his handiwork. “I taught James how warriors do their hair where I come from.”

Thor sounds so proud that it brings a smile over Steve’s face and Bucky suddenly feels better. He loves the way his hair looks, and stupidly, he kind of hoped Steve would too. There’s no more hair falling in his eyes or sticking to the sweaty skin of his neck. Thor made different little braids that he inserted in one bigger braid in the end.

“It looks beautiful,” Steve says, and even if he’s complimenting Thor’s word, his eyes are set on Bucky’s face. They lock eyes in the mirror quite intensely for a few beats, the atmosphere turning heavy with something inexplicable. 

Then Thor breaks the silence, squeezing Bucky’s shoulder before standing up. “Well, it was a pleasure helping you, James,” and he winks at Bucky like he’s reading his feelings like an open book.

“Steven, Fury was looking for you earlier,” Thor adds as he walks past Steve, patting his shoulder too, before making his way through the door and out of the cabin. 

“Once I’m done talking with Fury, do you mind if we start training a bit, you and I?” Steve asks him. He looks a bit shy, like he doesn’t want to bother Bucky about it. 

Bucky’s muscles are still a bit sore after all the wood chopping he did but who cares. _ Who cares _ when there’s a beautiful Prince, no, a King, standing in the afternoon sun, asking you with so much hope in his voice, if you can help him.

“Of course, Stevie. I’ll wait for you.”

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

“Hold onto your sword a bit tighter, Steve,” Bucky tells him, wrapping his fingers around Steve’s unsteady one. They instantly move, their grip suddenly stronger. “Yeah, just like that.” 

Bucky gets back in position and Steve tries to mimic it, with his feet spread wide, his knees bent a little. He holds his sword in one hand, the other arm keeping his body balanced. “I’ll move slow, just try to block my moves okay?” 

Bucky’s voice is soft and patient, like always, his eyes never leaving Steve’s. They are steadily locked on every movement of Steve’s body as Bucky studies him. He looks good today, Steve thinks. He loves the way Thor braided his hair back, the way it leaves his face more open. He’s not much of a fan of Thor’s hands on Bucky, though. Just thinking about his fingers running through Bucky’s long curls makes jealousy spark in his stomach again.

His anger from earlier comes back and how he felt his own body go cold when he saw Thor’s hand holding Bucky’s face, how he was making him laugh. 

Steve’s not blind, Thor is one of the most beautiful men he’s ever seen. He can charm whoever he wants, man or woman. Steve has seen him, more than once, getting his way from every single person on this Island. Even Maria blushes sometimes when he talks sweetly to her. 

He’s seen Natasha smile at him more than once and her smiles are as beautiful as they are rare. With just the right looks and well chosen words, with his voice thick and sweet like honey, Thor can get whatever he wants.

Steve tries to shake the jealousy away and starts focussing on Bucky again. He concentrates on the way his friend’s face completely lit up when he noticed Steve in the mirror. He didn’t look guilty or disappointed, no. He looked back at Steve in a way he’s been hoping for, for as long as he can remember.

In the few days since they’ve been reunited, Steve has to admit that his whole heart and soul have felt completely filled with hope. He doesn’t know if it’s because he’s more confident now, if he’s just bolder than he was back in the castle years ago. But he feels like his feelings towards Bucky might be reciprocated. 

He notices more often how his compliments and his touches bring color to Bucky’s cheeks and a smile to his full lips. Maybe it’s only the fact that they are finally reunited, but Steve now feels almost adventurous about his feelings. He finds himself, more than once, looking for the right moment to bring them up. For the right moment to cup Bucky’s lovely face in his hands and just kiss him.

He brings himself back to the present, trying to concentrate on the sparring session they’re having because Bucky is clearly going easy on him, and they can’t have that. Steve knows the can be much better than he is now, and so today he wants to impress his best friend.

Steve remembers how much he loved watching Bucky practice when they were younger. He still enjoys it now just as much. Bucky moves with a sword just how he moves when he is dancing. It looks easy for him, as he gracefully raises his swords and lowers it, slowly enough for Steve to follow the movement. The way his feet are moving is almost elegant, the curve of his body is appealing for much more than a sword duel.

_ Or some other kind of sword duel. Ha! _

Steve blocks all of Bucky’s hits easily, their blades meeting with a very satisfying sound. It makes Steve smile and he is distracted long enough to almost miss Bucky coming back at him from the other side. He gets his balance quick enough to block that hit too. Bucky frowns slightly and starts moving a bit quicker. But every single time, Steve manages to block Bucky’s hits.

“Okay, don’t take this wrong, Stevie, but you’re really good and I’m a little surprised,” he says with a laugh and it makes Steve’s face go warm. He kind of suspected the serum had also enhanced his reflexes and speed just as much as the rest. He did watch Bucky train a lot and he just tried to do the same as he saw him do so many times in the past, but he is also surprised at how easy all of this is. The sword almost weights nothing in his hand and it’s like it’s natural for him to handle it.

“I think it’s part of what Erskine gave me. I’m quicker now,” Steve says, taking Bucky by surprise by surging forward, his sword aiming at Bucky’s ribs. Bucky jumps sideways and his sword instantly comes down to block Steve’s.

“I can see that, yes,” Bucky says with a pleased smile. He’s starting to get a bit out of breath, “They really never tried to make you fight?” he asks next, wiping sweat from his brow.

Steve shakes his head, “No, I tried but…you heard what Fury said. I love all of them dearly, but it’s hard to keep their mind away from the fact that I’m a King who needs to be protected, you know.”

Bucky snorts. “Even a hundred pounds soaking wet you were more than able to protect yourself, Stevie.”

Steve throws his arms up in the air in utter relief, “Go tell them that, please!” 

It makes Bucky laugh with surprise, his head thrown back, his hand coming to rest on his stomach. It shows the pale expanse of his throat, covered by coarse, dark hair. When he looks back at Steve is eyes are still bright with joy and he bites at his full bottom lip shaking his head. Steve wants to close the small distance between them and finally crash his own lips into Bucky’s, to taste the remnants of laughter from his tongue. He wants to soothe that bottom lip with his eager tongue.

Bucky looks down for a moment, like he suddenly feels a bit flustered under Steve’s gaze. It’s almost like he read Steve’s dirty mind. “Come on, _ your highness _, show me the best you got. Don’t go easy on me.”

They spend the rest of their afternoon sparing under the bright sun of the clearing. Bucky keeps laughing, loud and bright whenever Steve blocks one of his particularly good hits and it makes pride bloom inside of Steve’s chest. He likes knowing he’s the one to make Bucky so proud and happy. It’s like pure happiness is burning and running through Steve’s veins.

They fight until they are soaked with sweat, Steve’s shirt sticking to his back and Bucky’s hair escaping his braid. There are crazy little strands of dark hair framing his face. Steve is barely out of breath but Bucky is getting red in the face now, and he is panting as he goes faster and harder, trying to find a way to make Steve’s guard fall. 

Suddenly he stops, taking a step back and dropping his sword on the ground, leaning on his hands, braced on his knees. “I give up, you don’t need my help at all,” he declares before falling on his back. 

He laughs, his stomach still rising with every fast breath he takes, spreading his arms wide on each side of his body. “Whatever they gave you, it made you better than me, I surrender,” Bucky adds, still laughing.

Steve drops his sword as well and lays in the cool grass next to him. He laughs too, looking up at the bright blue sky above them. Steve knows that if he reaches out just a few inches, he could take Bucky’s hand in his. His fingertips are tingling with the need to just touch. But he stays still, just enjoying the warmth of Bucky’s body next to his.

Steve whispers, “There’s a waterfall close by, we could go in to cool down a bit…”

Bucky sits up instantly. “A waterfall? There’s a waterfall on this island and you’re just telling me?”

Bucky stands up and holds out a hand to help Steve get up as well. “Ow. That was a mistake, you’re _ heavy _!” he says with a smile, almost falling on his butt as he tries to pull Steve on his feet. Steve takes pity on him and gets up by himself looking at Bucky with a smug look. “Yeah, yeah, go on and brag about all those new muscles you got.”

“I didn’t say a word,” Steve says, picking up their swords and making his way to the waterfall, Bucky excitedly following him.

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

Steve undresses, taking his shirt off and tossing it to the side. He pulls off his boots as well and Bucky loves the way his muscles flex as he leans down to remove them. Steve slowly gets in the water and Bucky is frozen in place. He is sitting under a tree beside the little lake at the end of the waterfall while looking at a _ very naked _ Steve getting in and splashing water over his sweaty body. The only sound Bucky can hear is the frantic beat of his own heart and the water moving around as Steve gets deeper into the lake. He is pouring clear water over his head, the tiny droplets dancing on his beautiful golden skin. 

Bucky can't take his eyes away from him.

He loved him before and he loves him now. The way he looks is just as entrancing now as it was before. There was a delicacy to him back then, and Bucky felt like he had to protect him but now? He wants to be the one held in those arms for the rest of forever. 

He would love every single version of Steve Rogers but this one, this version of him with hard muscles and miles of smooth, pale skin is doing things to him. It’s reminding him that no matter how Steve looks, he will always make the blood in his veins boil with need. It will always make want unfurl at the bottom of his stomach. 

Bucky can't look away and he can't speak either. He remains speechless, too many emotions clogging his throat. Steve turns around and raises one questioning eyebrow like he’s wondering what Bucky is doing still fully clothed by the lake.

So Bucky takes one steadying breath and starts peeling his clothes away from his sweaty skin as well. He turns his back to Steve, not trusting his red face or any part of his body that could have embarrassing reactions. He pulls his shirt up and tugs off his mud covered boots before taking his pants off as well. Then finally, he is slipping into the lake, avoiding his best friend’s eyes at all cost.

It’s one thing to sleep next to Steve at night, it’s another one to stand completely naked next to him where the water is so clear there’s absolutely nothing left to the imagination. He keeps his back to Steve as he also starts pouring water over his body. He is trying to cool down as best as he can when really, he can’t stop thinking about Steve’s body being so close to his.

He hears Steve getting closer, he hears the soft movement of the water and it makes the rhythm of his heart pound as wild and frantic as the waterfall nearby.

Steve stops right in front of him and Bucky has no choice but to look up. There is something dark in his friend’s eyes and it’s scary how Bucky can’t find the strength to look away. He is suddenly overwhelmed by the urge to put his hands on Steve’s body. To follow the path of those water droplets dancing on his friend’s skin with his own fingertips. 

Bucky raises a hand and rests the palm of it right above Steve's heart. He loves how warm Steve's skin is from their afternoon under the bright sun but also from their training session. It is a nice change from how he was always cold before. He feels the way Steve's breath stutters under his palm as he touches him, so he looks up again. 

He looks in those beautiful eyes where he never felt more at home, and he is scared, for a brief moment, that he did something he shouldn’t have.

"Bucky?" Steve asks and Bucky knows the color on his cheeks isn't only because of the sun.

"Sorry I..." Bucky doesn't know what to say next, so he just takes his hand off of Steve.

But Steve grabs at Bucky’s wrist again, pulling him a step closer, the water moving around them again. Bucky feels weak in the knees from the proximity of Steve's body, from the want pumping in his blood. If he breathes a bit too hard, he knows the skin of their chest would touch, so he tries to calm down as best as he can, but it surprises him, when Steve starts tracing the hard lines of his body. 

It sends a trail of fire all over Bucky’s skin. It’s like there are sparkles under Steve’s fingers as he is, softly and tenderly, following the lines of Bucky’s collarbones. He lowers his touch to Buck’s ribs, to his stomach and the hardness of his abs, to the dark patch of hair leading to a part of Bucky’s body that’s already begging to be touched.

Steve gives him a small smile, like he’s asking if it's okay. Like he’s telling Bucky that he can touch him too. 

So he does. 

Bucky won’t ever refuse anything from Steve, even less if it means that he can finally touch as much as he always wanted to. 

And right there, years after they thought they both had lost each other forever, Bucky finally gets to let his fingers dance over Steve’s skin. They move eagerly, learning every muscle, every curve, his hands trembling because of years and years of restraint. 

Quickly, what started as a timid observation turns into so much more. There is need and want in both of their wide eyes and Bucky’s heart halts when Steve leans closer and presses his lips over the scars of Bucky's shoulder.

They stay there for a long, burning moment. It’s like Steve is trying to heal him, is trying to convey, with the single press of his lips, how much he regrets that Bucky got hurt like that. But also, it’s like he is saying that he loves it anyway because, after all, it’s part of who Bucky is now, too.

Bucky almost stops breathing, his hands squeezing at where they are holding on Steve’s narrow waist. He feels Steve’s lips leave kisses up his shoulder than biting playfully at his collarbone and he feels his knees ready to give out at that. Steve’s lips are running up his throat then stopping at his jaw. He hears the way Steve inhales quite sharply like he is enjoying the particularly coarse hair of his beard against the soft skin of his lips. 

And then, Steve rests his forehead against Bucky’s and they are holding onto each other’s hips like they are scared the other might run away. They are breathing the same air and Bucky can almost feel Steve’s heart banging against his rib cage, its rhythm matching his own. 

What he can definitely feel, is how happy this whole thing is making them both.

“I don’t like it when Thor is touching you…” Steve whispers, just loud enough to be heard over the sound of the waterfall.

It makes something twist and turn inside of Bucky’s belly, hearing that Steve’s weird behavior earlier was only jealousy. He smiles, his lips almost touching Steve’s and he wants to close the distance so bad, he wants to have a taste of Steve’s mouth. He wants to know if what he imagined for all these years would exceed his expectations.

“It was nothing… He was only teaching me how to braid my hair, Steve.”

“I know,” Steve says and he rubs his nose against Bucky's, his hands reaching up to cup Bucky’s cheeks. “But I want to be the only one touching you.”

Bucky doesn’t have a chance to reply because finally, Steve’s lips catch his own in a searing kiss. He pulls Bucky’s bottom lip into his mouth and he moves his hands from Bucky’s face to the back of his neck. Bucky kisses back almost instantly, his arms wrapping around Steve’s neck.

They kiss, and it feels like everything is right in the world again. It’s like both of their lives were leading to this wonderful moment. Nothing is more natural, nothing feels better than kissing Steve Rogers. He knows that all those nights when he was stuck in a dark and damp dungeon cell, his only happy thought was to finally have Steve, just like this. 

Steve’s body is moving under his hands, under his lips, but Bucky is not ready for how amazingly beautiful it is to finally kiss the love of his life.

He pulls at Steve’s body, at his back and his hips to get him closer. He drops his hands under the water and takes a handful of that absolutely sinful ass and he feels dizzy with want when in response, Steve lets out the most beautiful moan he’s ever heard. 

Steve hands goes down the back of Bucky’s thigh and the next thing he knows, his legs are wrapped around Steve’s waist, their erections finally rubbing against each other. It makes Bucky break their kiss and throw his head back as he literally mewls, his eyes rolling into the back of his head. It makes his brain explode with fireworks just being held by Steve like that, and Bucky realizes that his new strength is a huge turn on for him.

Steve carefully lowers him on a rock near the waterfall while he stays, waist deep in the warm water of the lake. It’s like it’s softly raining on them and it makes droplets of water stick to Steve’s long lashes. 

Steve with gentle fingers, frees Bucky’s hair from his braids and the way his nails scratch at Bucky’s scalp feels so good he can’t help but grind down against Steve’s hip. He closes his eyes and bites on his bottom lip, loving the way Steve is running his fingers through the long strands of his dark curls.

“I wanted to do this for as long as I can remember,” Steve tells him, his eyes still on Bucky’s lips. 

Bucky suddenly feels like crying. Because _ fuck _, so did he. He pulls at Steve’s hair a little, forcing him to look back up into his eyes.

“Me too,” he says, trying to put as much sentiment into those two little words.

“Even when I…” Steve starts and his eyes are wide with surprise, like he only thought Bucky would want him now that he is tall and strong. It makes Bucky’s heart crack a little, and he takes note for later to remind Steve of all the little things about him that Bucky loves. 

“Always, Steve,” is enough of an answer for now, because he just can’t think straight. He doesn’t want to talk, he only wants to kiss Steve and take his fill of the way those lips taste. He wants to lick at his skin and relish in the saltiness of the water on his eager tongue. He could stay there by this waterfall and in Steve’s arms for the rest of their lives.

_ Fuck the throne_, Bucky thinks, _ fuck Hydra_. He’s never been happier in his whole damn life. He wants to stay in this moment forever.

But of course, life never works truly the way he wants it to, and in the distance they hear the sound of a big bell being rung. It comes from camp and it means a ship is approaching.

Steve sighs against his lips, but he kisses Bucky again, just as reluctant to let go. “Tonight. We’ll continue this,” he says, looking down at both of their arousal. It makes Bucky laugh and he kisses him again because _ fuck _ he loves him so much. 

“Yes. We will,” Bucky says, smile still pressed against Steve’s lips. “And tomorrow night, and the next,” each word punctuated by a kiss and there is so much happiness in Steve’s eyes, Bucky can’t believe he looks so surprised. He always thought his feelings for Steve were as obvious as the sun in the sky. 

It warms him up, knowing he makes Steve so happy.

The bell tolls again and it brings them back to reality. They get back into their filthy clothes, grabbing at each other and kissing in the process, and they walk back to camp, hand in hand.

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

When they reach camp, Fury confirms that there is indeed a ship approaching Shield Island. Bucky and Steve get back to their cabin to change and they keep sending knowing looks at each other and smiling big and bright. 

Natasha looked at them suspiciously when they arrived, even though they had let go of each other’s hands. Steve told Bucky he really wants to tell the rest of the crew. He told him how much he talked about him in the years they were apart and how pretty much everyone realized what the nature of his feelings were.

It made them stop and kiss against a tree for a very long time when Steve confessed that part. Nobody said “I love you” but it was just as though they did.

They decide to wait and see who is on the ship that is about to reach the island and deal with that before telling their friends. They also want to spend the night together in peace before having to share it with the world, they want to have this little moment just for them. 

Fury asks Thor and Bucky to go by the beach to see who their visitors are and they pick weapons before making their way into the woods. They talk a little but they are also both in combat mode, ready for whatever threat might be waiting for them. 

As the beach starts to come into view, Thor stops in his tracks. He looks back at Bucky and his expression is unreadable. 

“Thor? What’s wrong?” Bucky asks him, suddenly worried. Thor never looks scared of anything but right now, it’s like he just saw a ghost.

“That is an Asgardian ship,” he says before he starts walking again, much faster than before.

“Asgard? Isn’t that your people?” Bucky asks.

“The thing is, James, that when I left, I thought I didn’t have any people anymore. It was such a violent war we fought through, that I thought I was the only survivor. But this, this is unmistakably an Asgardian ship.”

Thor, Steve told him, rarely talks about what happened to him. He always looks happy and makes jokes but it is clear as day that beneath all that, he suffered quite a lot. It’s hard for him, talking about it. He never goes into much detail and everyone respects his grief. 

Right now though, he looks like he is as troubled as he is excited, of seeing a ship that was once from his people.

The boat is beautiful. It’s made of dark wood and the shape of it is different from any boat Bucky has seen before. The sails are deep green, framed with gold and there is a tall woman waiting for them on the beach. She has long dark hair, long enough to reach her waist and she is dressed like a man would. The only difference is the way her coat and her pants are hugging her body. It’s tighter than what a man would usually wear. He hears Thor gasp in surprise.

As they get closer to her, suddenly, in the blink of an eye, it’s no more a woman standing in front of them, but a man. Bucky wonders if he is dreaming.

The man is just as beautiful as the woman was, but his features are a bit stronger now, more traditionally masculine. Thor stops instantly and when Bucky turns around to look at him, questioning, he notices his friend’s eyes are filled with tears.

“Loki!!” he screams and then he runs the few steps separating them from the other man and he grabs him into his arms, hugging him and spinning him around. “You’re alive!”

“Put me down, you beast!” the man, no, the _ person _ called Loki says, but there is a small smile on their lips. They make a show of straightening their clothes once Thor puts them down like they are annoyed but it’s all pretend. They clearly are happy to see him, they are just not as expressive and outgoing as Thor is.

“We’ve been looking for you,” they say, looking only at Thor. “What is left of Asgard is on this ship with me,” they add as they gesture to the boat behind them.

“There’s people left? I thought everybody died.”

“We’re not a lot, but there’s still a few of us,” Loki replies.

Thor makes the presentations and Bucky learns that Loki is Thor’s sibling, “different parents,” Loki says at Bucky’s wide, questioning eyes. Where Thor is all golden skin and bright blond hair, Loki’s tone is pale, with long, straight ebony hair. “But we grew up together anyway,” Thor adds fondly.

“Can you…Do you? Like they did, can you…change like that?” Bucky asks Thor with wild hand gestures.

“Oh no,” Loki says, “Thor does a very different kind of magic,” and they send a wink Bucky’s way. 

“Magic...” Bucky repeats dumbly. He doesn’t know why he is still surprised after his best friend literally became a brick wall of muscles thanks to magic. He always knew it was a thing, he’s just never been so close to it before. 

Thor throws a strong arm around his sibling’s shoulders and pulls them close to him. “Come on, you have to meet the rest of my friends, Loki!” he exclaims, as the both of them start walking up the path leading them back to camp. 

“What about the people on the ship?” Bucky asks, looking over his shoulder at the very few people moving around the boat. 

“Oh, they will stay there. They aren’t too fond of strangers now, after what happened to Asgard,” Loki says and there is a sadness to their voice and in their eyes. Bucky doesn’t ask any more questions and follows Thor and his sibling back to camp. 

Maybe, he thinks, the Asgardians can help them against Hydra. They could literally take any kind of help they can get at this point. And of course, if they have magic on their side, it’s even better that way.

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

When the three of them make it back to camp, Fury is there waiting, looking equally worried and curious as he eyes Loki who is still in his more masculine appearance. Bucky lets them talk together and makes his way towards Steve’s cabin. It would be dinner time soon, so he might be in the kitchens helping Peggy, but Bucky secretly hopes he is alone, waiting for him.

Thankfully, Steve is laying in his bed, in just a pair of underpants, reading a book. One of his arms is folded under his head and the other is holding the novel against his toned stomach. He looks sleepy and soft and Bucky wants to slip between the wall and Steve and just have his way with him until the sun sets.

Steve raises his head and sees him standing there in the doorway and he smiles. He smiles like nobody ever smiled at Bucky before. He feels dumb, that he never noticed the way Steve looks at him, and yet, he was always so certain Steve wasn’t reciprocating his feelings. That is until a few hours ago. 

He notices the basin of hot water waiting for him in the corner of the room and he starts undressing slowly. He knows what he is doing, how he is trying to impress and arouse Steve so they could go back to what they were doing in the waterfall. 

He takes his hat off and then slowly, with his eyes never leaving Steve’s, he takes his jacket off and starts unlacing the front of his shirt. Steve quickly closes his book, not even bothering to mark the page he is at, and sits up, swallowing hard, his eyes growing dark with need.

Slowly, Bucky pulls his shirt above his head and with a playful smile, he throws the bunched up fabric at Steve. There’s no way to pull off his high boots sensually if he stays upright so he goes to the bed and he stretches one of his legs towards Steve. Bucky looks down at him and raises an eyebrow, taunting Steve to do what he wants.

He’s not prepared for the way Steve instantly obliges, and there is probably a place in hell for him for what he’s doing right now. For giving orders to a King, when he is not worthy of doing so.

He stares at Steve’s big hands as he runs them up Bucky’s leg, up to his thigh. Steve unlaces the knots tying up his boot before pulling it off so slowly it’s almost painful to just watch without being able to do anything. 

When both boots are on the floor by the bed, Bucky’s hands reach for his pants next. He stops by his dick to squeeze a bit at it, to release the tension Steve put him through. Instantly, Steve’s hands are on his and he pulls them away. He wants to touch too. Wants to feel Bucky’s arousal before he swiftly pulls on the knot keeping Bucky’s pants up.

As he lowers them, Steve’s hands go to his ass and to the back of his thighs and Bucky feels like he might faint, having those hands on him, having Steve’s face so incredibly close to his crotch. 

Steve looks at Bucky’s naked body in wonder, like he wants to eat him up. It makes shivers break all over his overheated skin. Bucky holds a hand up and rests it on Steve’s strong shoulder, taking a step forward and loving the way Steve’s blue eyes are now as dark and deep as the ocean just before a storm.

“I need to wash up,” Bucky says, his voice rough and cracking.

It makes Steve look up and when their eyes meet, he bites at his bottom lip and he asks, shyly, “Can I help?”

It’s obvious, with his dick right there in front of Steve’s face how much he would love that, and he blushes bright red as it obviously jumps at Steve’s words. It makes Steve honest to God _ giggle _ and Bucky is more than in love with that sound alone.

Steve stands up, and presses a kiss to Bucky’s cheek. A kiss that is too soft, too tender and chaste for the way they are both so hard and so needy for each other. He takes Bucky’s hand and pulls him closer to the bassin. He wets a cloth and with it, starts rubbing at Bucky’s skin, leaving kisses behind it. 

Bucky closes his eyes and he just stands there, living in this moment. Relishing in the feeling of the warm water running over his body, of the smell, both of the fragrant oils and of Steve standing there, so close but also never close enough. He shivers under Steve’s soft lips and demanding fingers. 

He feels dizzy with how much he wants more, with how frustrating it is to have Steve touch him everywhere but this place between his legs where he desperately wants him too. Steve gets on his knees to wash his calves, and up his thighs and _ oh _. His ass.

“Fuck,” Bucky can’t help but mutter when Steve’s hands are rubbing at his buttcheeks, and between them, and he feels like his knees might give out. He can’t open his eyes, he can’t because he’s afraid he’ll come right here on the spot.

“S’not every day you have your King on his knees for you, right?” Steve says, trying to sound playful but it’s obvious, really, how he is just as affected as Bucky by all of this.

“You are so much more than just my King, Steve,” Bucky whispers reaching blindly for Steve’s head, cupping his cheek tenderly.

He feels the way Steve rests his face against Bucky’s palm, how he smiles before kissing the center of his hand. And then, Bucky almost shouts in surprise as the wet cloth finally wraps around his cock and his balls as Steve rubs him slowly and teasingly. He moans, he can’t help it, and his hand closes in a fist around Steve’s blond strands.

“Can I?” Steve asks, peppering kisses all over Bucky’s hips and navel as he speaks. 

Bucky finally opens his eyes and looks down at Steve and he feels like he is in a dream. The sky outside is turning into deep shades of orange and purple as the sun sets and he knows they need to be quick because someone is going to come fetch them for dinner soon. 

Bucky nods dumbly and it’s mere seconds later that Steve’s sinful lips are wrapped around the head of his cock and there’s fireworks bursting in his brain, in the center of his chest. 

Steve moans around it like he loves it just as much as Bucky does. He grabs at Bucky’s hips as he works his lips and his tongue over his hard length. Each time he goes deeper and deeper and Bucky can’t look away now. He can’t shut up either, as he keeps telling Steve how good it feels and how wonderful he is and how he never in his life saw anything more beautiful than him. 

Bucky loses it as soon as Steve pushes a hand down the front of his own pants, pleasuring himself as he is sucking on Bucky’s cock. He tries to warn Steve that he is close, pushes at his shoulder but Steve only sucks harder. Bucky curls over himself, and he comes down Steve’s throat with his lover’s name on his lips. 

Steve swallows everything he can but there’s a little bit dripping on his chin and down his chest and it’s a wonderful sight for Bucky, seeing him painted by him like that. It doesn’t take long for Steve to follow, his face buried against Bucky’s naked hip. 

He leaves a little bite mark as he does. Bucky looks at it, at the redness and the indents of teeth and he wants to tattoo it on his skin.

He pulls Steve up to his feet and they fall back on the bed, their bed now, as they keep kissing and kissing until there’s a knock on the cabin door telling them that dinner is served.

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

At dinner that night, everyone is sends them knowing glances, like what happened is painted all over their faces. It might just be considering the fact that the both of them can’t stop smiling like lunatics or, the fact that under the table, they are holding hands, barely letting go to put some food on their plates. They keep sending little knowing smiles and glances at one another.

Bucky is surprised when he looks up at some point and meets Maria’s eyes. She smiles at him, it’s a small thing really, more of a smirk than anything, but still. If he thinks about it, it’s probably the first time he even saw her smile. She is all about training and about strategies and she is always with Fury, talking about plans, and about more ways to train, or she’s over with Tony talking about weapons. It’s a nice look on her, to see her soften up a little.

Bucky also notices the way Sam teases Steve all through dinner as well. He is whispering things that Bucky can’t hear but he loves the way it brings color to Steve’s cheeks. He feels so incredibly grateful for Sam in this moment. Because he knows that all of the people on this island, they are Steve’s friends. All of them are ready to do everything they need to keep him safe. But there is something, some brotherly bond, between Sam and Steve and it warms Bucky’s heart to know that even if he lost his family, Steve found another one here. 

They go to bed that night, wrapped around each other like every other night since Bucky got here. Steve is laying on his back and Bucky’s head is pillowed on his chest, Bucky’s arm wrapped around Steve’s slim waist. They go to bed in silence, Bucky listening to the beat of Steve’s heart. It’s strong and steady now and he cherishes every single beat of it for all the years he thought it would randomly stop. Steve fingers are running through Bucky’s long hair, playing with a few remaining braids and colorful beads.

It’s dark outside, the sun long gone behind the horizon, and they can hear a few bugs buzzing, a few low voices coming from the tents pitched under the stars. 

“You know that I am completely in love with you, right?” Steve whispers, and he goes so still under Bucky’s hands, like he’s scared of what he just admitted. 

Bucky sits up to look at him, sees how wide Steve’s eyes are in the pale moonlight slipping in between the curtains above their bed. He raises a hand and cups Steve’s cheek, rubs a comforting thumb over Steve’s bottom lip. He thought a thousand times about this moment, he dreamed about it a few hundred nights, about hearing those words tumbling out of Steve’s mouth. 

And yet, it’s like he would never be totally ready for that moment to finally happen.

“I didn’t know. But I’m glad you do. I’ve been in love with you since before I even knew what love was, Steve.”

Steve turns his face into Bucky’s palm and kisses it. Bucky loves the way he feels how Steve is now smiling. He leans down to catch Steve’s lips with his own, pressing his answering smile against them.

“Even when you were just a small thing, you still had the most beautiful eyes I’ve ever seen. Those lashes, Steve,” Bucky says, his fingers reverently touching the skin under Steve’s eyes. “I love them so much. And you have a voice I could listen to for days,” he keeps going. “ You were telling me all the silly stories you were reading in all those books you were devouring. I was never really listening. I was staring at your mouth the whole time. Even then, I loved you the most because you were a fighter, because you survived every single thing thrown your way. I didn’t love you because you were a prince, or because you were rich, or because I was lucky enough that you picked _ me _ as a friend. I loved you because as soon as I was old enough to understand what I felt, I knew there would never be another person for me. It was you. It will always be you. You’re it.”

“Bucky,” Steve says, more an exhale than an actual word and then he pulls Bucky in for a kiss, rolling them over so they are face to face. And they kissed and kissed and kissed for what seemed like hours. In the end, Bucky feels like he slept only a minute when the sun finally comes up, painting the sky shades of pink and orange. 

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

Their little honeymoon is quite short though, because it takes a grand total of four days before the ship from Wakanda arrives on Shield Island. They knew it was only a matter of time before they sailed their way to Shield to join them, Fury told them so, but their arrival suddenly makes everything more official. 

They are now ready to fight.

Everybody instantly starts talking about plans and strategy. Loki accepts their request for help without missing a beat, apparently missing the rush of adrenaline brought on by a good battle. It makes Thor whoop and grab them into a bear hug. Apparently that is the only kind of hug Thor is able to give.

None of the sailors aboard the Asgardian ship refuse to join. The respect shown to Thor is almost the same as what he used to see back on Brooklyn when he was walking by King Joseph or even the few times with Steve. The mystery around Thor and Asgard and his role among his people is getting thicker, and if he wasn’t already so busy with battle strategies, Bucky would look deeper into it.

As they start talking with King T’Challa, they learn that Wakandan kings, from generations and generations, always had the best of partnerships with the Kingdom of New York. But since King Joseph’s death, Hydra tried to steal from them, tried to take over their home as well and all the treasures it holds. There’s not even a chance of T’Challa and his crew not joining their forces to take down Pierce and his men. 

They sit down at dinner that night, all of them. They push all the tables they have together and they join their forces and ideas to come up with a way to take back Brooklyn Island. It makes Bucky realize that they might have a real chance at this.

Bucky knows that Fury’s crew, all of the resistance team, are more than ready. He knows he can call them his friends too, now. He trusts them and believes in them. Bucky’s men, who still carry the scars left by the months they spent chained and tortured in the castle’s dungeons, are also ready for revenge. They are ready to get their beloved King back where he belongs. They are ready to kill the man who is the main reason they have all lost so much.

The few Asgardians are there at the table too. Loki is now looking like the beautiful woman Bucky first saw on the beach. He sees a few of his men looking at them with confused interest. It is not a gender thing, he knows his men’s taste well enough. 

There is something eerie around Loki, like they are oozing a kind of magic everybody wants to look at. But it’s a magic that is also a bit scary, a magic you know that if you get too close to, you might get yourself burned.

In the very end, after a very long day of discussion and arguments, the plan is this: they decide to attack Brooklyn Island on two fronts.

The land itself is shaped almost like a stretched triangle. There’s this one side that is just a lovely sandy beach, one that is just plain rock on top of which the castle sits, and the third side of the triangle is the official point of entry to Brooklyn. That line is where the port is and where all of the King’s guard ships are usually anchored. 

The town is mostly on the lower level of Brooklyn Island and most of the little shops and taverns are on this side of it. There is a little slope and then a set of heavy wooden doors leading to the castle. The fortress is, of course, surrounded by big, heavy stone walls, protecting it.

The Island’s inhabitants are mostly on the beachy side of Brooklyn, which it is more peaceful. There are little farms there along with the schools and it is, to Bucky’s memory, the most beautiful place to live. He feels his heart constrict at the thought of the people of Brooklyn. All of the farmers, the fishermen. He hopes most of them are still able to live a happy life no matter what happened. He thinks of his mother, and his father. His sisters as well. He really does hope he will see all of them again.

They decide to send the Wakandan ships to the port side. There will likely be more of Pierce’s guards on this side and since Wakanda have a much larger force of attack, it will hopefully draw most of them down to fight back. 

Wakanda also has their very own weapons made of what is called _ Vibranium _. It’s a resource they have on their island, one that Hydra tried taking from them more than once. It is very solid, almost unbreakable. Their ships are laced with it, which is part of why they will send them up the front. It’s clear that they are their strongest asset. 

Tony says his father talked to him about Vibranium more than once, that he was fascinated by it. He adds that for a very long time everybody wanted a piece of it for their own army and weapons. 

It’s Shuri, T’Challa’s younger sister, who explains to them excitedly that they use Vibranium for pretty much all of their technologies, and from what Bucky sees, they are much more advanced than Brooklyn ever was. He agrees with T’Challa when he calls Shuri a genius, because the way she talks about such complicated things with such ease is truly amazing.

Asgard will attack along the beach side. It is still likely to be guarded, of course it is. But since they think Hydra will send most of their men to face the Wakandans, they hope there will be fewer of them to fight the Asgardians who will come the other way. 

They also decide to stagger both of their attacks. Wakanda will strike first, letting the Asgardians sail to the other side. That side isn’t suited for the big Brooklyn ships or even for the Wakandan ones, the shallower waters better suited for small fishing boats. The Asgardian ship, thankfully, with its different shape and size, would have no problem accessing the beach.

Maria voices her concern, about how they would hide Asgard’s ship from Hydra. Even if Wakanda attacks head on, she thinks people will notice another ship even if it’s still miles away. It makes Loki smile at her, and they wave their fingers around as they say, “Oh don’t you worry about that. I have more than a few camouflage tricks up my sleeves.”

Bucky’s men and a part of Shield’s resistance will sail after Thor and the Asgardians, on a much smaller boat. They need to stay as discreet as they can, because as both of the main attacks occur, they will try to make their way inside of the castle. They decide to hide their ship in a small creek about a mile up from the beach where Thor and the Asgardians will be. This part of the island really can’t be seen from the Castle and they can thank Steve for knowing this place like the back of his hand.

The secret passage Steve took to escape all of those years ago, that lead him to the beach, is hopefully still there. They are hoping to be able to climb it back up to get to Pierce. It is decided that from there, only Steve, Bucky, Natasha, Clint and Sam will enter the castle. The rest of the resistance will split their way between T’Challa’s and Thor’s boat.

Steve and Bucky, of course, know the place better than anyone else. There is also no way Bucky won’t be following Steve, no way he’ll let him out of his sight. Especially not now. Natasha and Sam are the best at blending in and hiding as well. Clint, with his bow, can hide and strike from a distance if any of them gets into trouble. All of them are also extremely skilled in combat, and Bucky knows that they will put up one hell of a fight against anyone daring to cross their path.

Their plan is a simple one: they find Pierce, and they kill him.

Fury announces that they will leave the next day, as soon as the sun rises. They will leave Shield Island and make their way to Brooklyn Island. It takes around two days by boat to reach the land. He suggests that everyone packs food, and clothes and weapons and gets a nice night of sleep, because things are about to get rough.

“Tomorrow, we’ll leave Shield Island behind us and hopefully, very soon, we will put our King back on the throne where he belongs,” Fury says with a sense of finality. Then he stands up, he turns to Steve, and he bows. 

Then something incredible happens and it makes tears burn in the back of Bucky’s throat. Every single person there with them around the table, they all stand up and turn to face Steve, and they all bow. Natasha, Maria, Sam, Rhodey, Tony, Phil. They all do it with proud smiles on their faces.

Then Bucky’s men do too, with Clint, Dum Dum, Gabe and all the rest of them. They bow with their right hand on their heart, like they used to do for King Joseph when they were his knights.

Even the Asgardians, with Thor wearing the biggest smile, his pride for his friend clear as ever on his face. Even T’Challa and his sister Shuri, who are royalty themselves, incline their heads towards Steve. 

They show him so much respect, and Bucky feels his heart swell with pride. He feels so incredibly proud in this moment, to call this man his King. To have him as his lover as well, to be his. So he follows them and with his hand holding Steve’s, he too bows to him.

He feels Steve’s hand tremble within his. He understands how he might feel. This is the first time since he lost everything, that the fact that he might actually get it all back seems so real, so tangible. And as everyone straightens up, smiling at a teary eyed Steve, Bucky leans down and he kisses him. 

He’s ready to fight. 

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

They barely sleep that night, they just hold each other close and they kiss. They play with each other’s hair, they draw silly patterns all over the other’s skin. They enjoy this moment of peace with the nagging feeling that there’s a chance it might be the last night they spend together if things go wrong. 

As soon as the sky starts to get lighter through the window above their bed, they get up and dress. They stop by the barn to grab knives and swords and other kinds of weapons and slowly, the whole team of Shield Island starts to wake up and make their way down the beach.

They walk in small groups, in complete silence and they separate when they reach the ships. Steve gets with Bucky, of course he does, and so are Natasha and Sam. Fury, Phil, Tony, Peggy and Rhodey board T’Challa’s ship. Thor goes with the Asgardians. They shake hands, they hug too, some of them, before getting on their respective boats. 

And then, it’s official, they are going back to Brooklyn Island. 

As predicted, it takes them almost two days before finally seeing the shape of the Island drawing itself against the horizon line. Clint calls down to them, pointing ahead and everyone starts moving quick and efficient. They get dressed and grab their weapons. They are suppose to change direction soon so they can make their way to the creek without being seen while Wakanda and Asgard are busy attacking on both fronts. 

They start turning the boat and look one last time at the majestic shape of the Wakandan ship approaching, followed by the lower and smaller boat of Asgard. 

Dum Dum sails them smoothly to their hiding spot and once the anchor is lowered into the sea, they all start working fast without even exchanging a word. Bucky feels so nervous that his hands won’t stop shaking. It’s not his first fight, he went through so much worse and yet, it feels like it’s the first time all over again.

He notices that Steve looks nervous too as he is busy buttoning his coat and securing the sword at his belt. Bucky puts his own shaky hands on top of Steve’s and takes a step closer to him. Steve looks down at Bucky, and there is a line between his brows, worry is painted all over is handsome face.

“We’re going to be alright, and by sunset, you’ll be back on your throne.”

Steve doesn’t reply, but he grabs at Bucky’s face and brings him closer in a searing kiss. There is so much poured into this simple gesture that it makes Bucky’s heart squeeze painfully in his chest. Oh, how much he does hope everything goes as it’s supposed to. He spent his whole life believing in this prophecy and he sure hopes it wasn’t for nothing. 

They start running as soon as they set foot on the ground. This side of the island is mostly rocks so they try their best not to slip while also making their way to the beach side as fast and they can. They all startle when they hear the first cannon ball fired by the Wakandans as they are now close enough to Brooklyn to start on the attacks.

Soon enough, they hear the cannons from Brooklyn Island firing back.

They get to the beach soon enough and they spot the Asgardian ship as it reaches the other coast of the island. As they suspected there aren’t many people guarding this side. Thor, Loki and the rest of the Asgardians have time to jump down on land and reach the few little houses, warning people to hide. They are telling them they are here to help, that they are bringing their King back. 

It provides a nice diversion for Bucky, Steve, Nat, Clint, and Sam to start running towards the woods and to hide behind the tall trees before they start to hear people shouting. They hear Thor’s booming voice yelling back, and then it’s the mesmerizing sound of blades against blades and of people fighting. 

They don’t go too far into the small patch of forest they are hiding in before they stumble against a rock wall. They all search through the plants growing there, looking for the entrance of that passage Steve took five years ago when he escaped. “There is a handle,” he tells them, “it should be at eye level.” 

They start patting at the brick walls between overgrown leaves and branches and thank God, Sam quickly finds it. He motions frantically to them all and they get closer as he tries to pull at the newly found door.

It is covered by growing vines and it doesn’t move as Sam pulls at it with all of his weight. Thanks to Steve’s super strength, when he grabs the handle he finally manages to yank it open and then they all go in, soon surrounded by complete darkness.

“It’s a good sign, it means they are not aware of those passages,” Steve’s voices murmurs to his left and Bucky instantly reaches for him and holds his hand. 

Steve squeezes back instantly and they stay motionless for a few beats, all of them breathing hard and fast until Bucky finally says, “Lead the way, Your Highness.”

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

They start walking, Steve leading the way and Bucky never letting go of his hand. They are all holding to some part of each other to avoid getting lost in the complete darkness of the tunnels. “Are you sure you know where you’re going?” Natasha asks at some point from where she’s right behind Bucky.

“I think so. I gotta say I didn’t know those tunnels existed before the night my parents died, but other than these, I know this castle like the back of my hand, Nat. I’m pretty sure that I know where we’re going.”

“Wow. I’m feeling so much better now, thanks Steve,” Natasha says, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

Bucky always hated the dark. When he was a kid it was only a childish fear, but instead of growing out of it, now darkness reminds him of the days he spent in the dungeous, or the nights filled with nightmares that followed. He squeezes at Steve’s hand a bit harder than he intends to, and it makes him whisper, “You alright, Bucky?”

He only nods but then remembers that Steve can’t actually see him so he says, “Yeah.” He hates the way his voice cracks on this small and simple word. 

They reach a point where there is another corridor on their right and Steve makes them turn. They can feel some wind blowing in their face and it’s faint but it’s enough to make them think they might be getting closer to some kind of opening.

“When I escaped, I remember running and taking a few turns before I ended up on the beach. I’m pretty sure this one door would lead us the Library.” 

“Man I hate not knowing where I start and where I end,” Sam mumbles from where he is closing the line and it makes Bucky burst out laughing and he quickly presses a hand to his mouth when everyone hisses “Shut up!” at him.

“Oh god! I’m nervous, okay? I’m sorry!”

When he looks back in from of him, like it just appeared out of thin air, he sees the outline of a door surrounded by soft light.

“Please, let this be the library and not Pierce’s bedroom,” Clint grumpily says and there’s a sound like someone just hit him. “_ Ow. _” Yup, someone hit him.

Steve reaches for the door and softly pushes it open and they all blink in the bright light in front of them as they make their way into the library. They literally get out from behind a bookshelf, its hinges cracking loudly from years of disuse. They all let out a collective sigh of relief as they get back into the light and then Nat and Sam start going through the aisles of books to make sure they are alone. 

Bucky looks around him and he can’t believe he’s actually back in the castle. He thinks of that afternoon, what feels like so long ago, when he was sitting there in the middle of the room, surrounded by small children and telling them the amazing story of what Steve was bound to achieve. He searches for that particular aisle where he knows the prophecy books are. And it’s still there, with its pretty blue velvet cover and its embossed silver lettering. 

It’s covered in a thick layer of dust like nobody has been here since they left. He blows on it and coughs a little. When he opens the book and turns to the page where he knows Steve’s story is, they are surprised by a loud noise and the whole castle shakes with it. Bucky drops the book and runs towards his friends.

“Guess it’s time,” Natasha tells him. “They are fighting back harder than we thought if T’Challa is bombing this close to the castle.”

“You guys ready?” Sam asks Steve and Bucky and both of them nod. Then Clint opens the library doors, and they start running.

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

It’s all a blur for Bucky after that. They run, meeting very angry people along the way who run straight for them, swords first. They fight back and they manage to make their way further inside of the castle despite being chased by Hydra’s men. Bucky notices quickly enough how the five of them together, they’re pretty awesome at fighting and they fall into some kind of dance, moving easily and swiftly. They leave a trail of bloody bodies behind them and they never stop running. 

They keep hearing people yelling from somewhere beneath them, like there’s a fight happening there as well. They still feel the castle, and the whole island really, vibrating with the forces of the Wakandans cannons. There’s worry on Steve’s face and Bucky knows it’s not so much for the building, but more for the people in it. There must be people from before left, Bucky thinks, he really hopes his mom and his dad are still there somewhere, alive and well. As they run by one of the biggest windows of the castle, they look down and they see bright lightning cracking.

The sunny sky has turned dark and grey and thick clouds are now floating above the castle. The lightning keeps striking in the same area and Bucky knows it’s where the Asgardians are. “What is happening down there?” Sam asks with a frown. Bucky remembers what Loki told him, about Thor having a very peculiar power of his own. 

“I think it might be Thor’s doing,” Bucky mumbles back. He looks at the puzzled expression on Sam’s face but he doesn’t have time to explain himself because Natasha is gesturing for them to get closer.

She is waiting for the rest of them by a staircase and she presses a finger to her lips, cocking her head towards the entrance where they can hear someone screaming orders.

“_WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU STILL DOING THERE? GO OUT AND FIGHT YOU COWARDS! _”

“But we heard some of them are inside the castle!” a shaky voice replies.

Steve and Bucky exchange a look because that’s _ definitely _Pierce angrily shouting and if Steve remembers correctly, right beneath them is the castle’s throne room. Still in silence, Natasha points to them, and then motions to the stairs. She holds her sword and bit tighter in her hand and then reaches for her boot where she digs one of her knives out. 

Bucky looks behind him and sees Clint and Sam are just as heavily armed.

Bucky looks at Steve and he wants to kiss him, he really does. Because, maybe it will be the last time. He wants to be optimistic, more than anything, but there’s still a possibility that all of this goes to hell.

Bucky takes a steadying breath and goes first down the stairs. Steve is close on his heels and they try to move as silently as they can. They don’t meet any of Hydra’s goons as they make their way down and into the corridor leading to the throne room. The big wooden doors are wide open and in it, looking out the window at the battle happening outside, is Count Alexander Pierce. His shoulders are tense and his clothes are rumpled, his hair a mess like he kept toying with it. 

He doesn’t look anything like the cold and heartless man Bucky last saw. 

Next to him, is a small man Bucky remembers all too well. He feels the hair on his arm go up at the memory of what Zola did to him. Thinks of all the nights he pressed cold and sometimes hot blades deep into his skin. There is one single guard next to Pierce, a tall man with tan skin and dark hair; Rumlow. Bucky remembers how he used to kiss King’s Joseph ass back then. Probably because he was part of Pierce’s team all along.

It’s Rumlow who spots them first and he quickly unsheathes his sword and takes a few rapid steps toward them. Bucky doesn’t even hesitate to lift his own sword higher in front of him, stepping in front of Steve to protect him. Their blades clash. 

“Your Highness,” Rumlow says with a tight voice. He is pushing his blade hard and strong against Bucky’s own and it takes him a second to understand that Rumlow is not talking about Steve, but talking to Pierce. 

“Your _ what _?” Steve’s angry voice rumbles behind him, as he tries to push Bucky away from him. 

“Stop,” Bucky whispers, reaching behind him with his hand. 

He hears Clint, Sam and Natasha getting closer, the sound of their heavy boots against the hard floor as Pierce finally turns around to face them. He tries to school his features into something more composed but it’s quite obvious how surprised he is. 

“Who the fuck are you?” He first says but then, recognition paints his features, “Oh. Isn’t it Mister Barnes? I never thought I would see you inside the walls of this castle again, especially without your beloved…”

He stops talking, his brows furrowed in confusion as his eyes finally settle on Steve. He gets closer to them, pushing at Rumlow so the man has no choice to take a step back from Bucky. Pierce squints his eyes and he doesn’t look away from Steve once. It looks like he just saw a ghost.

“It can’t be possible. You can’t be him! What happened?” 

And he dares to get even closer to Steve. Bucky wants to cut him open. Thankfully, Sam, Nat and Clint are right there next to them and soon enough, Bucky sees all of their swords pointing at Pierce and Rumlow. He sees Sam and Clint walking around with careful steps to get behind them and soon enough, they have completely surrounded the enemy in a perfect circle. 

Zola is the only exception, still standing helplessly in a corner of the room, looking for a way to escape. Natasha is looking at him from the corner of her eyes, but they have much bigger concern. 

Pierce’s eyes are stuck on Steve and it makes unease crawl all over Bucky’s skin. If he thinks he can reach out and touch just one hair of Steve’s head he will lose his hand so fast he won’t see it coming. Pierce is staring and it seems to click, what happened to him. He remembers what Steve told him about Erskine and Tony’s father, Howard. How Pierce was after the magic the both of them had created. 

The magic they used to save Steve and to change him. 

“You found them,” Pierce says. “You found those two cowards before we got to them. They healed you! They changed you!”

He surges forward to get past Rumlow who was protecting him, but Bucky is faster and he takes a step closer too, raising his sword right at Pierce’s throat. “You stay away from him.”

“Oh, _ James_, you would have been such a great soldier for me, for Hydra. What a shame your heart was weak for _ him _!” He spits the last word in Steve’s face and it’s enough for the fight to explode. Because Steve, he unsheathes his sword and reaches for Pierce. But Rumlow is there, of course, and he is ready to attack. 

Bucky’s heart stops when he hears the sound of their swords colliding, but he doesn’t have time to worry that much for Steve because Pierce has pulled a dagger out of his tunic and he is now surging toward Bucky with crazy eyes. 

There are more people pouring into the room, and Bucky hears their screams and the sound of their weapons as well. From the corner of his eyes, he sees Natasha, Sam and Clint taking care of their new visitors. He sees their swords swinging hard and fast and merciless. He sees blood and men falling to their knees. 

Bucky turns back to Pierce and he wants to carve marks into the man’s skin the same way they did to him all those years ago. He’s seeing red, knowing that he is finally facing the man responsible for all of those nightmares. The man who, for so long, ruined his whole damn life. Bucky grips tighter on the hilt of his sword and he just dives in, blinded by anger. Pierce, even with a smaller blade, blocks him the first few times, because of course, he is far more composed than Bucky is. 

He does finally manage to cut at Pierce’s skin. 

Right under his eyes, a perfect red line going from an eye to his jawline, painting the cream color of his tunic with his bright red blood. It makes them stop for a second, Pierce reaching for his face with steady fingers to wipe at it. When he looks down at his hand, his smirk turns deadly. “Oh James, you’re about to find out that what I did to you, all those years ago, it was just for fun. Now it’s serious business.” 

While Bucky is still standing in position with his sword up, Pierce wipes his bloody dagger on his shirt and puts it back at his belt. Then, he goes to one of his men, now dead on the floor, thanks to Natasha, and he takes up his sword before turning to Bucky again. He lunges for him but Bucky his quick enough, he is well trained enough, that he blocks the first few attacks with ease. Unfortunately, Pierce is also a skilled swordsman because at some point his blade bites into the flesh of Bucky’s shoulder. 

In the brief moment he takes to catch his breath, he sees that Rumlow his now laying in a pool of his own blood with a few of Pierce’s men, while Steve has joined Sam and the others. Bucky never doubted Steve’s skills, but he is quite surprised at how quickly he took Rumlow down. Bucky was so busy with Pierce that he totally forgot about the fight happening around him. But seeing all the bodies down and his friends who are still fighting, he feels a weird sense of pride at being a part of this team. 

They are winning, Bucky thinks, they are still on their feet while most of Pierce’s men are on the ground. 

So he darts for Pierce again, but the man deflects almost everything he throws his way. Bucky is getting angry and his shoulder is hurting him. He feels the fabric of his shirt getting damp with his blood and starts to feel a bit weaker because of it. He gets at Pierce’s side and cuts into his flesh again, Bucky smiles at the red quickly blossoming under the fabric. Pierce is finally growing a bit out of breath. He is definitely getting tired because he starts talking instead of fighting. Fucking with people’s head always was one of the things he did best. 

“You really think he’s gonna stay with you, if he get his throne back? You really think he will settle for a poor little knight, covered in scars?” 

“Shut up!” Bucky says as he surges forward again. His sword is raised high and he wants to stab him right through his heart. Pierce is quick enough to deflect and he keeps talking. Bucky is supposed to be one hell of a swordsman, and he was ready, he swears he was, to fight tooth and nail to kill this man. And yet, he is not capable of anything because that asshole keeps playing with his head. A few words and it’s like Bucky is back in the dungeons all over again. All of his worst fears are surging back to the surface, blinding him enough so he can’t fight as fiercely as he would like. 

“Now that he looks like that, he could get anybody he wants, you know that, right? But you’ve thought of that, of course. You know you’re not good enough for him.” 

Bucky can’t see straight through the anger clouding his judgment but he manages to strike him again, this time in the shoulder. He was aiming for the heart but Pierce moved away at the very last second. Bucky enjoys the way his breath catches in his throat as the tip of his blade goes right through his shoulder. He loves the way it makes Pierce’s sword clatter on the ground as he drops it.

He was going to kill him. Bucky was finally going to get his revenge, for what Pierce did not only to him but also to Steve’s family. He was going to take that bloody sword out of his shoulder, then he will push him to his knees and plunge the blade back right through his heart. 

He hears Steve’s voice calling him name, but it sounds so far away. He hears the others too, calling for him. But he doesn’t have time to turn around and see what they are warning him about because he’s finally going to take the life of that monster. 

But Bucky, he forgot for a moment, how evil the man in front of him really is, how manipulative and vile he is. So Bucky forgot about that dagger he had just a few moments before. The one he put back in his belt before he grabbed for the sword. 

So as he feels the cold blade slide into his stomach, Bucky feels like yelling in frustration. He feels so incredibly _ stupid_. He was so close, so close to winning and to giving Steve his place on his throne. But it turns out that when you fight against someone like Pierce, you need to play as dirty as him. 

So his vision goes quickly white around the edges, his shirt is growing sticky and warm with his blood flowing out of his stomach. He sees the smirk drawn on Pierce’s face as he sees the fear into Bucky’s eyes. He hears a voice again, yelling his name, and the last thought he has before everything goes dark, is that at least Steve’s voice was the last thing he heard.

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

** A week later **

Steve never left Bucky’s side. It’s been a whole week now that he’s been lying unconscious in his bed. But Steve is not leaving him. He knows the people are waiting for him in the throne room just now, because today is the day of his official coronation. They won. 

After Pierce stabbed Bucky, after Bucky fell to the ground rapidly bleeding out, Steve had felt like he was the one wounded by Pierce’s blade. Looking at Bucky’s pale figure as he passed out, it felt like he was having his heart ripped out of his chest. 

So Steve ran to Pierce and he thrust his sword right through the man’s chest with an angry scream. The man was on his knees, his eyes finally showing some sort of emotion. Fear, regret, or maybe sadness? Steve didn’t care because after all he had done, the man finally got what he deserved. Pierce choked on his own blood as it started bubbling over his lips. He tried to speak but Steve only dug his sword deeper until the man completely stopped moving and fell to his side, dead. 

Whey they turned around the very few of Pierce’s men who were still alive dropped their weapon like puppets with cut strings. They surrendered as soon as they saw the man was finally dead. 

The rest of Pierce’s men were put in the dungeons as they begged Steve for mercy and forgiveness. Zola, sadly escaped and nobody saw where he went. In the end, he was just a coward who did whatever Pierce asked him too. 

Steve had run down to the beach, trying to get to T’Challa and ask for his help. Bucky’s heart was still beating but it was so weak he was scared that it might be too late. Shuri, T’Challa’s sister, instantly started running towards the castle and Steve followed her to show where Bucky was. hey put him in the closest room with a bed so she could work her magic on him. 

She warned Steve that Bucky would be out of it for a few days, maybe even weeks. She explained how she put him under some kind of controlled coma. It would apparently help his wounds and his internal organs to heal. She told him not to worry, that she knew what she was doing and that Bucky would be back on his feet in no time.

Steve stayed by his side all week. He slept there, he ate all of his meals there. He left just for a few formal reunions, as he was now officially the King of the Kingdom of New York. But his heart was breaking whenever he was far from Bucky. 

He was so worried that Bucky would wake up without Steve by his side and think Steve had abandoned him. He never was truly alone though. Bucky’s mom and sisters survived, even if sadly his father wasn’t that lucky. Steve cried so hard when he saw them and they cried harder in his arms knowing he brought Bucky back to them.

So when he couldn’t be by Bucky’s bedside, his mother was there with his sisters. Steve knew he was safe but deep down inside of him, it’s like he never wanted to be away from Bucky again for a single day of his life.

So here he is today, standing next to his lover on his coronation day while all of his court is waiting for him, and celebrating his return. He knows the throne room is full. T’Challa is here with all of his court. Thor and Loki are there too with a few Asgardian friends. And his team, his family, they are all here too. Peggy, Tony, Phil, Rhodey, Fury, Maria, Natasha, Sam. They all stayed on Brooklyn. They are all helping rebuild what was lost.

Thankfully, not many of his people were hurt. No civilians died during the battle, because they knew better than to participate in the fight. Thor was successful in hiding everyone safely while the battle with Hydra happened. 

But under Hydra, they’d sadly lost a lot of good people. Good people who fought back against this new power taking over their beloved Island. They all lost family and friends when Hydra took over and it breaks Steve’s heart thinking about it. Thinking of those people who sacrificed themselves for the Kingdom of New York. Right after his coronation, Steve would hold a ceremony for all of those good people they lost. 

But right now, everyone is waiting for Steve, to celebrate with him. It’s a moment he waited for all of his life. But let’s be real. He doesn’t want a crown if Bucky is not by his side when he receives it. Because what he wants, is to ask Bucky to marry him. What he wants is to reign over this kingdom, with Bucky as a king too, by his side.

He knows that Bucky will wake up. Shuri promised him. He will ask him to stay with him until the end of the line. He just wants to see Bucky’s pretty grey eyes again. He is staring at his face and he is trying by will alone to have him finally regain consciousness. Because, the truth is, Steve he is terrified of being King and all he wants is his best guy next to him.

There is a knock on the door and he quickly looks up, seeing Peggy standing there. She is beautiful, wearing a bright red dress with her brown hair resting above her shoulder in a pretty braid. There’s blue and white flowers in it. “They are waiting for you, Steve.”

Steve sighs and he stands up, straightening his dark blue tunic in front of him. He turns his back to Bucky’s sleeping form and walks to the door, stopping at the threshold and taking a deep breath to calm himself before facing the crowd. He is holding onto the door frame with a tight grip, slowly counting to ten when he suddenly hears some movement coming from the bed.

He turns around and he sees Bucky blinking slowly. He is grimacing against the bright light of the afternoon sun seeping into his room and he starts looking around the room. His sleepy eyes finally stop on Steve and he smiles softly. Steve runs back to the bed and falls on his knees next to it. He grabs at Bucky’s hands and presses reverent kisses into his skin.

“Steve,” Bucky croaks from above him. “Did we win?”

“We did, sweetheart. We won. I killed that bastard! I killed him for what he did to you.”

“Oh. Steve,” Bucky coughs and then Steve reaches for the pitcher of water by the bed and pours Bucky a cup. He drains it quickly and then sighs happily, with his eyes closed again. Steve wants to kiss him so bad, he wants to pull him into his arms and kiss him until the sun sets. Screw the coronation, there’s much more important business for him right in this room.

“I wish you would have gone on with your life without knowing what it is to kill a man,” Bucky says, looking down at Steve kneeling next to him.

“That’s pretty intense for a man who just woke up from a week’s nap,” Steve tries to joke, his voice shaky with emotion. Bucky only shakes his head with a frown, before closing his eyes again.

Steve kisses at his knuckles again. “I know what you mean. But I would do anything for you, to keep you safe. Bucky, you’re the love of my life. I couldn’t bear the thought of losing you.”

Steve’s voice got thick with unshed tears and sleepily, Bucky releases one of his hands and runs it through Steve’s blond hair. “You’re the love of my life too, Stevie.” It’s enough to have Steve stand up and grab at Bucky’s face, pulling him in for a kiss. He’s alive. He’s here with him when Steve thought he lost him all over again. But he’s here. Everything is finally right. Steve keeps kissing Bucky, and the other man feels so sleepy under his hands that he keeps it soft and chaste. He feels Bucky smile against his lips and he finally opens his eyes again, looking at Steve’s face, than down to his very formal clothes.

“Are you dressed all fancy just for me?” Bucky whispers, still holding to Steve’s face to keep him close.

“It’s coronation day,” Steve answers, and he knows they still are waiting for him. He knows he is making them wait but he can’t find it in himself to let go of Bucky.

“I’m gonna miss that?” Bucky asks, and there’s so much sadness and dejection in his voice. 

Steve nods and then goes in for a second kiss, this one lingering a bit longer. “You’re missing mine but, if you wanna, you can have your own when you feel better.”

Steve feels the way his face suddenly gets warm at those words. But he did it. He asked. He knows he could have gone for something more romantic, for a grand gesture with flowers and lanterns floating above the castle. He could have asked for people to spell _Marry Me_ on the beach with seashells. But he is too impatient. He wanted to ask now, kneeling by Bucky’s sick bed so he did. 

He feels Bucky going still next to him and his heart starts beating incredibly fast because, did he do it wrong? Does Bucky even want that, to marry him? They never actually talked about marriage before, with all of the things happening in the last weeks, so maybe Steve read Bucky’s feelings wrong all along...

“Steve. Are you asking me what I think you are?”

“To be honest it totally depends on what you’re answer will be,” Steve says, swallowing through the lump in his throat.

“You want to marry me?” Bucky asks in a small voice, and he sounds so surprised. Steve thought his feelings were so loud and clear. Why does Bucky sounds so surprised?

“Of course I do. I told you. You’re the love of my life!” Bucky doesn’t answer right away because he is too busy kissing Steve. He is grabbing at Steve’s face and shoulders trying to pull him in the bed with him. Bucky is still too weak and he gets out of breath faster than he thought. He gets a bit dizzy too and he can’t help but fall back on his pillows. His cheeks are flushed and he is smiling, big and bright.

“I do too,” Bucky finally says, soft and breathless and it is the best sound Steve ever heard.

Steve ends up being late, _ very _ late to his coronation. It takes an angry Natasha to finally separate them because they can’t stop kissing. Even if Bucky sadly isn’t there next to him, Steve never stops smiling through the whole ceremony. He feels so incredibly grateful for all of his friends being there with him. For their support and for believing in him and helping him getting his Kingdom back.

After the ceremony, they go out on the beach for the ceremony they organized for the loved ones they lost. Right there on the beach, they raise a beautiful monument in memory of all friends and family who didn’t survived Hydra’s reign. Bucky’s mom is there, holding flowers for her lost husband George, and Steve himself rests a big crown of flowers against the stone structure for his lost parents.

King Steven Grant Rogers is finally back to rule over the Kingdom of New York. They spend the next months rebuilding what was lost. Buildings, of course, but also the trust Hydra broke with neighboring lands. When Bucky is finally back on his feet and completely healed, they announce their engagement. Winifred cries tears of joy and apologizes for ever doubting Steve’s feelings for his son. Steve promises her he will take good care of her son and try his best to keep him happy. 

After the announcement, the whole island breaks into celebrations. There is music and fires lit up along the beach and Steve and Bucky are looking down at their people dancing and drinking in the streets. They are looking down at their people celebrating their love.

The night of their wedding, people from all over the land come to celebrate with them. T’Challa comes with all of his family, and his gift for Bucky and Steve is a matching set of vibranium wedding rings. Thor arrives on his Asgardian ship, bright lightning following his path. With him he brings barrels of magical mead and it leaves everyone at the party feeling giggly and warm. 

With their love, Steve and Bucky not only bring back peace in the Kingdom of New York, but they also bring back unity and the respect of the other lands surrounding them. And with that, they lived happily ever after.

.・。.・゜✭・Fin・✫・゜・。.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you thank you thank you, to all the people who cheered on me while I was writing this story, to my lovely betas (Betheflame, reignofdreams) who fixed all the grammar mistakes and typos I make since english isn't my first language!! Thanks to Kiki who's always there to brainstorm with me and give me all the ideas. Thanks to aeremaee who helped with all the battle strategies because it was the first time I was writing this kind of story.  
You can find me over Twitter under rosesnfeathers, mostly yelling over those 2 supersoldier.


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